Now or Never
by WhispersFromMyDreams
Summary: The Bennett witches made a new vampire that never burns in the sun. She was created to be the strongest of all vampires, more like an Original. She meets Damon Salvatore way before he's turned to a vampire, falls inlove. What happens when she's forced to kill him to stop his out-bursts of rage because of the 'loss' of Katherine? Sorry, I'm bad at summarys Please REVIEW!
1. The Beginning

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I wasn't born like normal humans, I wasn't born from a woman, I don't have a mother, or father. I was born from magic. Witches made me from a powerful spell in the early 1800's. 1863 to be exact. Over a dozen of them helped to create me. But the most powerful witch of all, Destann Bennett. Technically, she's my 'mother', because she's the one that put all her energy and magic into me. She died instantly after my making. For a few weeks, the witches didn't know what to call me, so they let me decide.

They filled me with magic of all the knowledge of the 17 centuries that have gone by. From the most complex scientific exploration, to the simplest way to start a fire. You can believe that I suffered a horrible migraine for 5 days straight. I went around with Destann's niece - Sophie Bennett - in a sweet-heart black strapless dress that reached my ankles. My light-brown, wavy hair reached just above my belly button, swaying from side to side as I walked barefoot. Yes, barefoot, because the witches didn't have extra shoes for me to wear, but thank the Heavens that my dress covered my feet, or people would think I was a poor, homeless thief. My eyes are bright, 'electric' blue, with a touch of golden brown around the pupil, only witches could make them._  
_

Sophie looked at me and chuckled as I gawked at everything around us. I looked at a barn and saw a horse . . . a white stallion. Not a pinch of dirt on its beautiful skin. I stopped and my jaw dropped just a bit. The people stared at me as if I was some sort of alien, but I could care less.

"You're new," Sophie whispered to me. "They don't know you, but if you walk around everyday and get to meet new people, you'll be loved around here."

"What if they ask me my name?" I ask quietly, barely a whisper.

"Make one up. Destann and the other witches told you, it's you decision what you want to be named."

I sighed. "Lets see if I can make on up in time before I screw it up."

Sophie looked at me with her eyebrows raised. "Since when did they tell you that you can use those kinds of words? You have to talk proper like everybody else."

"You want me to be like _them?_" I gesture towards the up-tight men and women standing stiff straight and looking like they could break their backs if they stand any stiffer. "I don't think so."

"Can you atleast try? And when people ask where you come from, you're going to say . . ?" Sophie waited for my response.

" . . . Um . . . " I stuttered and thought really hard.

Sophie elbowed me in the side and laughed. "Just tell them that you don't like to talk about it, because you 'lost your parents' in a horrible accident."

I laughed with her and nodded. "Technically, you're my cousin . . . right?"

"Sure, why not?"

I hooked my arm in Sophie's and we happily walked through the crowd of people, stopping right in front of the horses's stalls. Sophie said that she won't be so far, just to see the black stallions, and she walked away. I looked at the white stallion that I spotted back where Sophie and I were, only to come upon a wooden board. The 'fence' was made out of wood and the 'field' that the horses were in was about 30 feet around - yes it was a circle. I saw people getting apples from a tall, husky man to feed the horses. I walked to the man and said, "Excuse me, but would you mind if I have an apple, my good man?"

He inspected me up and down, then looked at my face and smiled kindly. "Choose whichever you'd like, my dear." I looked in the bucket full of apples and found the biggest, shiniest one in the pile and picked it up, nodding my head in thanks to the man and walking to where I was before. My eyes searched for the white stallion. I saw it, eyeing me. I eyed it back with friendly eyes, it gave a shake of its head and trotted towards me. Given that the wooden fence is about 6 feet tall, I climbed 3 boards, so now I could extend myself over to give the horse its apple. I could feel people staring at me. I could also hear them whispering things like, "Look at that odd girl. Who is she?" and, "Doesn't she know how to act proper? _Not_ like a child?" then some were saying, "Why doesn't she just feed the horses like normal people? Not act like a complete baboon?" I sighed, brushing the comments away and focusing on the horse.

I extended my arm as far as I could, the stallion ate the apple from my hand and once it was finished, it looked up at me for more. "Sorry, I don't have anymore," I apologized quietly to the horse. "Don't you ever get tired of these rich folk?" Yep, I'm talking to a horse. . . I've gone mad. I petted the horse's head, the horse moved closer, extending its neck high, making me pet its neck. What a soft mane. Pure white, like its skin. That's when I heard it, some person whispered, "Why isn't she wearing any shoes?"

I looked forward and gulped. I felt somebody poke my side, I flinched unwillingly and lost my footing and slipped, causing me to fall backwards and I shut my eyes, waiting for some sort of pain - something I've never experienced. But, instead of feeling pain from falling, I felt a pair of arms catching me. I opened my eyes and saw bright blue eyes staring at me. Him. The most handsome man I've ever seen - - I've only been alive for about a few weeks, so I haven't seen that many men.

He looked into my eyes, opening his mouth to say something, but no words came out. I managed an embarrassed smile and I forced myself down. "I'm sorry," I said, I could feel my cheeks burning. "I'm a bit clumsy."

He smiled at me and nodded. "It's alright, really. I was just letting you know that one of the boards that you were standing on was loose. And I don't think anybody wants to see a bloody leg." Ofcourse, he said it sarcastically, and we both laughed silently. Then, somebody tapped my shoulder. I turned around, it was Sophie.

"We have to go," Sophie said. I nodded and turned to the man who caught me.

"Thank you for catching me," I thanked. He smiled and I turned around to walk with Sophie, but he stopped me by grabbing my arm. I turned around once again.

"Wait . . . I didn't get your name. And I don't recognize you from this town. My name's Damon Salvatore. What's yours?" He said.

I thought really hard and opened my mouth. "Arianna Julius Truman. I'm new here." _Arianna Julius Truman? What the Hell did I just say?_

"What a beautiful name, Arianna. Will I be seeing you around?"

I nodded. "Deffinately."

Sophie nudged me with her elbow and grinned one of those fake smiles that said '_What are you doing?_' I nodded at her and looked at Damon. "I'll see you soon, Damon," I said and did a perfect curtsy.

Damon cocked his head and smiled, grabbing my hand and kissing it. "Until next time, Arianna."

Once again, I felt my cheeks burn as if they were on fire and I smiled at him. "Until next time."

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	2. Arianna

**Please Enjoy! **

**I've worked and thought super hard on this story, I know it might not be that great, but I'm a huge fan of TVD! 3**

**[p.s. If you want to see how Arianna looks like "now", the picture that is on my story is "Arianna"]**

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"_Some_body found out her name!" Sophie sang as we entered the Bennett household.

"Oh really?" One of the witches that made me - Mary Jo - said, drying off her hands from doing laundry. "What's this beauty's name?"

My cheeks burned a bit when she complimented me. "Arianna Julius Truman," I said with confidence.

"My, what a - - _unique_ name. The witches were going to name you Kaitlynn Lorenzo, but we let you pick. So, _Arianna_, would you like anything?" Mary Jo asked me. Mary Jo had tan skin that all the teenage girls would kill for, she had big, green eyes that reflected her kind, sweet character, and pin-straight, glossy, red hair that reached over her breasts. She was around the age of 28, she looked 19. What a beauty, huh? To me, she was super-model gorgeous.

I looked down at my feet, lifting up my dress just to show from my shin and down. "Shoes," I said, looking at my dirty feet. "I think shoes would be good for now."

Mary Jo smiled and turned a corner to go to her bed room, I turned to Sophie. "Do you think we can go back out there?" I asked.

"You drew too much attention to yourself, people will think you're - -" she stopped talking and bit her lip, urging herself to not continue.

"The people will think I'm a . . ." I raised my eyebrows in confusion and made the '_a_' in what I was saying last for a long moment.

"I can't say. Mary Jo's suppose to tell you. I'm not allowed."

"When will she tell me?" I asked.

"Tonight, you're suppose to be alive for a month and when we see that you're cooperating with everything and every_body_, we can tell you what you are. . . . er . . _will_ be."

"What the Hell? What am I? An alien from Planet 48?"

"No, you're - -" Sophie started but she stopped, standing stiff-straight when Mary Jo came in with a pair of sparkly black flats.

"These should do the trick," Mary Jo said with a warm smile and put the shoes on the floor for me to try on. I slipped my feet into them and nodded. Perfect fit, it was as if they were _made_ for me.

"They fit like a glove," I said and walked around the living room.

I turned to Sophie, Mary Jo was shaking her head. "That's not fair," Mary Jo said.

"What do you mean?" I asked.

"Why did we make you so gawd darn pretty?"

"She's Buffy the vampire slayer, what do you expect?" Sophie said to Mary Jo. She covered her mouth right after she spoke those words, not realizing what she'd just said until the last minute. Mary Jo gave Sophie a stern look.

"Mary Jo," I said in a puzzled tone. ". . .What am I?"

I could hear Mary Jo swallow hard and she let out a heavy breath, then walked to her love seat right behind her and pointed to the couch next to me. I sat down and Sophie sat next to me, one of her hands ontop of mine. I looked at her with confusion and then at Mary Jo.

"Arianna," Mary Jo said, I liked the sound of my name ringing out of her mouth. "The Bennett witches and I made you for one reason. And one reason only . . ." she stopped ever so suddenly.

"- - - And that reason is - - -" I said slowly.

Mary Jo sighed. "We made you so you can kill all the vampires."

I didn't even know how to react to that. ". . . Is this a joke?"

"No, it's serious business, Arianna. There are alot of bad vampires out there, and when I mean alot, I mean _alot!_"

"So . . . you're giving me this _huge_ responsibility to slay vampires all by my own? What if they kill me first? I'm a human, vampires are atleast 5 times stronger than a normal human," I said.

"That's where this _other_ surprise comes in. . ." Mary Jo breathed in ever so slightly. "We made you a vampire."

I blinked and swallowed. Hard. "A _what?_ I'm a vampire that _kills_ vampires? That's . . . _horrible_, Mary Jo!"

"You'll understand when you witness a horrible death caused by a vampire," Mary Jo said calmly, while on the other hand, _I_ wasn't.

"Is that horrible death going to be caused by _me?_" I spat and stood up, but Mary Jo stopped me.

"You can _never_ tell _anyone_! Do you hear me? _No_body will _ever in there life_ know that you're a vampire!" Mary Jo harshly said into my face, her voice a harsh whisper. "If they find out you're a vampire, none the less a _Day Walker,_ they will come to where you are at and _rip out_ your heart right from your chest! Do you understand?"

I was momentarily paralyzed, right up until she grabbed my chin hard and spat, "Do you _under-_stand!?" I slapped her hand away from me and pushed her off of me.

"I understand!" I yelled. Sophie stood up and gently grabbed my forearm. I looked at Sophie. "You told me I was going to be, as in . . I'm not a vampire right now?"

"No, you're not," Sophie said and grabbed something into her pocket, a very small glass jar - - barely half the size of my palm - - and told me to drink it, I slowly and gently pushed her hand away.

"What . . no," I said.

"If you don't, you'll die," Mary Jo said.

"But I'm just starting to _live_, literally!" I said back to her. Mary Jo grabbed the small glass jar and took off its cork then lifted it to my lips.

"Drink. Now," Mary Jo demanded. I took the glass jar away from her and poured the liquid into my mouth, it tasted bitter . . . sour and made me feel sick to my stomach, but I drank it all. When I was done, I looked at the glass and noticed that I drank every last drop, and the after tasted wasn't as bad as what I'd expected. My skin felt like it was burning and I was about to hurl, but I held it in with all my might.

I was going to open my mouth to say something, but I felt my canine teeth pushing down hard in my gums. I let out a scream of pain. Sophie rubbed my back with her hand and told me to hold it in, the pain was only for a short moment. And she was right. In a matter of seconds, the pain was gone and I felt better. Mary Jo went over to the kitchen, retrieving a hand-held mirror. She gave it to me and I opened my mouth as I inspected it. That's when I saw it, a pair of razor-sharp canine teeth - - or should I say fangs. I almost dropped the mirror. Just then, I became oddly hungry.

"I'm starving," I said as I got a good look at my fangs. Mary Jo pulled her red hair to one side of her neck while the opposite side was hair-free.

"Here," Mary Jo said.

I literally fumbled back when she said that. "What? No. I'm not drinking your blood. Never the less _biting_ you, Mary Jo."

"You _have_ to, it's in your blood." Mary Jo thought hard, looking at the floor, and her eyes sparkled, I could sense she had an idea. "Try compelling me."

"Compelling you? Like hypnotizing?" I asked.

Mary Jo nodded. "Exactly. Tell me to do anything, anything at all. Make up something."

I looked into her eyes and relaxed my mind. In a soft, calm voice, I said, "Go to the Market Place in town and buy me a golden mask. The prettiest of all the masks." I could see Mary Jo's pupils shrinking a bit then growing. Had it worked? Mary Jo blinked and her pupils were back to normal. She looked at me with a blank face and nodded, then turned around and headed for the door. I turned around and looked at Sophie.

"Did that actually work?" I asked in a hush tone.

"I don't know, Arianna. Lets go test it on somebody else," Sophie said.

"Like who?"

Sophie looked at me with a smirk and grabbed my hand, rushing me outside and into town. We ran passed Mary Jo, who was walking normally with a blank face, people greeted her but she just kept walking. It worked. My compulsion actually _worked!_ Sophie led me to a man that was round like an orange and short like an Oompa Loompa. We were just a few feet away from him.

"You see that man that looks like one of those Oompa Loompas?" Sophie asked me in a whisper.

"Sophie, that's not nice," I said to her.

"He's one of the rich folk here. He's so greedy and stingy. I heard that he stole money from a kid. Compel him to come home with us. And once we're home, compel him to give you all the money he has with him, and everyday he has to come by with a hundred dollars."

"We're going to get caught," I said, sounding like a frightened child.

"Compel him to forget."

I sighed. "It's worth it. I just told Mary Jo to go buy me a mask. I mean, really? Why a mask? But oh well." I walked up to the short, round man and tapped his shoulder, he turned around and looked up at me.

"Yes?" he said, inspecting me up and down.

I cleared my throat and looked into his eyes, relaxing everything inside of me. "You will walk me home. And if anybody asks, you're welcoming the new girl." I could see his pupils shrinking and growing just like Mary Jo's.

The round man nodded and blinked, then turned around towards Mary Jo's home. I looked at Sophie and nodded with a smile that said '_Mission accomplished!_' Sophie hooked her arm around mine and we walked back to Mary Jo's.

**~*~*~Mary Jo's~*~*~**

Once we were in, the round man blinked fast and stared at the ground. He looked up at me. "Who are you?" he asked. "How did I get here?"

_Compulsion time_, I thought to myself. I relaxed everything in me and said, "Give me all of your money you have with you. Tomorrow, bring me the same amount, after that, forget we ever had this conversation. If anybody asks, tell them you were having a civilized talk with the new girl in town. If they ask about the money, tell them you were helping out the new girl. Do you understand?" I saw his pupils do what they did back where I compelled him. _It's working! _I thought to myself all giddy and what-not. The man brought out his wallet and got out all the money and handed it to me. No joke, there was so much money, the thickness of the pile was atleast over an inch. Sophie looked at me and gave me an accomplished smile. The man looked at me blankly and by that point, he didn't know what to do.

"Now, go home, get more money, go to the market place in town, and get me a black cloak. If anybody asks, tell them it's for a Halloween costume," I said, compelling the man. He blinked and walked out of Mary Jo's house, I waited until I couldn't hear his footsteps as close and I turned to Sophie with the pile of cash in one of my hands.

"Oh, my _God_! How much is there?" Sophie asked. We started counting the money and after a while, we finished, counting up to exactly 500 dollars each.

"$1000? Jackpot, Arianna! I'm so proud of you!" Sophie exclaimed and hugged me, giving me back the money. When she pulled away, she asked, "Where are we going to hide it?"

"Oh, don't worry. I'll find a place," I replied._  
_

"Don't you lose that money, Arianna."

Just then, I heard somebody open the front door, I turned to look at a mad Mary Jo. I hid the money behind me and pulled out a hundred dollar bill.

"A mask? _Really?_" Mary Jo exclaimed in fury. "I spent 50 dollars on this crap! Do you know how _hard_ I worked for that money?" She tossed me the golden mask with a beautiful gold trim and I just wanted to try it on.

I waved the hundred dollar bill infront of her face and her eyes widened. "How'd you get that money?" she asked.

"Do you know how _hard_ I worked for that money?" I asked back, mimicking her angry tone she's had before.

Mary Jo put a hand on her hip and grabbed the hundred dollar bill I was waving infront of her face, then put it in her bra. "This money will go for our food and some of it will pay for the house itself."

"Do whatever you want with it," I said and nudged Sophie. We exchanged smirks.

"Okay, what are you girls up to?" Mary Jo asked.

"Oh . . . nothing," Sophie and I said at the same time with the same suspicious tone. We giggled and Mary Jo shook her head.

"Might as well enjoy your life while you have it," Mary Jo said with a shrug. She looked up at us. "What do you girl want to eat?" She got out the hundred dollar bill and waved it in the air. "I'll cook anything."

"How about a restaurant?" Sophie suggested. "Not that we don't love your cooking, Mary Jo. Your cooking is amazing. But can't we do something different today?"

Mary Jo shrugged. "Okay, I know this really good restaurant near the market place in town, you two want to go dine there?"

Sophie and I both nodded. "But, don't worry about paying," I said. "It's all on me." I pulled out a hundred dollar bill and put it in my bra. Mary Jo didn't even ask me where I got it from, she was just staring at the mask she bought me out of compulsion.

"I really hope this works out," I say. "Me being a. . ." I look around me, making sure that nobody's there. "A Day Walker. . " A Day Walker is a vampire that can walk in the sunlight and won't get burned.

"But the good thing is that people don't know that vampires can walk in the sunlight, so they won't suspect a thing. Well, just who you are, where you came from, and normal things like that," Mary Jo said.

"So," Sophie added. "What are we waiting for? Are we going to dine like queens, or we going to sit around making chit-chat?" She raised an eyebrow, tilting her head a bit and smirking.

I squeezed the money behind my back as Sophie and Mary Jo walked outside. "I'll meet you outside," I said to them. "I have to . . . check something in my room." I quickly walked towards my bedroom and grabbed my stuffed bear that Mary Jo got me, and lifted the back of its blue vest to reveal its back. I unbuttoned the button that was on its back and pulled down the furry flap. I stuffed 700 dollars in Teddy's back, retrieving another hundred dollar bill and putting it in my bra. I put the extra money behind a layer or two of stuffing and made sure it wasn't seen. Perfect, I buttoned Teddy back up and lifted down his vest, then went over to my closet. I put him in an old trunk Sophie gave me and put him at the button, then covered him with neatly folded clothes. Good, it didn't seem like I did anything.

"Are you coming?" Mary Jo called, popping her head through the opening between the door and the wall. She startled me and I jumped, shutting my closet doors hard unwillingly.

"You scared me, Mary Jo," I said and took in a breath. "I was just checking if I had any other dress. That's all." I grabbed her arm and ushered her outside where Sophie was at. I cupped my hand over my mouth and brought myself to Sophie's ear.

"I hid the money," I whispered into her ear and pulled myself back. Sophie gave me a thumbs-up and we smirked at each other. Wow, look at us with our deadly little secrets.

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******[p.s. If you want to see how Arianna looks like "now", the picture that is on my story is "Arianna"]**

**~Chuula**


	3. Hello, Katherine

**Chapter 3; Vampire Killer**

Mary Jo, Sophie and I went to a small restaurant by the name of Mystic Grill, it had wooden, mobile tables and wooden chairs, the tables built in the wall had wooden stools as seats for people. Mary Jo, Sophie and I sat in the very middle of the Grill, so I can keep watch of people who come in.

"I'm still hungry," I said, tapping the outside of my mouth where my fangs would be if I happened to flash them.

"We should make hand-signals for words like that so people don't know what we're talking about," Sophie said.

Mary Jo nodded, completely ignoring what I just said. "Yeah, we should. If Arianna is ever. . . er. . . '_hungry_', sh does what she just did, taps her mouth with her finger. And if she sees a . . ." she looks around, the tables next to us are completely empty. ". . . vampires," she whispers. "She'll do this- -" Mary Jo claws at her neck once then pulls her hand downward in a slow scratch reaching her chest.

"That sounds just about right," I say. I heard the door of the Grill open and when I looked, there he was. Damon. Oh, God. My heart pounds like crazy and my hands start shaking. I notice two more people with Damon, who I think is his younger brother - - rather dashing and down-right dreamy - - and his father. Mary Jo notices and turns around. She sucks her teeth and turns to me.

"What are you doing?" Mary Jo said. "You can't be out going all goo-goo eyes at the Salvatore brothers."

"It's not both of them she's going goo-goo for," Sophie said, I was about to stop her, but she stopped me by saying, "It's Damon. They met at the horse corral. I guess they both have a love for horses."

"Oh, really?" Mary Jo looks at me as if she was staring at her daughter - - which she doesn't have one, but if she did, that's how she'd be staring at her. Mary Jo smirked and said, "Maybe I should come and talk to Damon, don't you think, Sophie?"

I'm at the brink of slamming my fists down on the table and yelling, "_No!_" But I keep it together and shake my head. "Don't, Mary Jo!" I said through gritted teeth.

"Oh, Da-_mon!_" Mary Jo sings. I face-palm myself and put my elbows on the table while I cover my face with my hands. I can feel my face turning red. Sophie and Mary Jo smirk and laugh, then after a moment, I don't hear his voice near us, which means that he's not here. I let out a sigh of relief. I look up and say, "You made turn r-" But Damon came out of no where to my right and startled me, I jumped unwillingly and put a hand over my chest.

"Damon!" I say out of having a heart attack. "You just about scared me half to death!" My breathing is now heavy and my palms get all clammy.

Damon laughs and looks at me. "What a coincidence that I see _you_ here," he says, picking up my hand ever so gently and kissing the back of it, then settling it back down softly on the table. "I was just thinking about you." I look at Mary Jo, giving me that weird look and she winked at me.

"Would you like to have dinner with me and my family?" Damon asks me. I raise my eyebrows and look at Damon. Then he says, "Or if you'd like to stay with them, you can."

I open my mouth to say something but Mary Jo beats me to it by saying, "She'd _love_ to!" I tilt my head a bit and stare at Mary Jo as if saying, '_Really? Did you really just do that?'_ But Damon looks at me with those beautiful blue eyes of his that melt me down into nothingness and says, "Really?"

I nod and look at Mary Jo, then to Sophie. "Yeah," I said. "I'd love to have dinner with you." I saw Damon smile and extend a hand to usher me to his table. I grabbed his hand, feeling the warmth of it seeping into mine. I smile at Mary Jo and that's when a waitress attends their table. I look forward and follow Damon to his table. His father looks me up and down, then looks up at me and smiles. I sit down and Damon sits next to me.

"So, you're this mystery girl that Damon's been talking about?" Damon's father asks me.

"Mystery girl?" I say and look at Damon with a smile. "My name's Arianna Julius Truman, and it's a pleasure to meet you."

"I'm Giuseppe Salvatore, the pleasure's all mine."

I smile at Damon then look at the man infront of me, who I think is Damon's younger brother. "And you are. . ?" I ask to him.

He chuckles and flashes a one-of-a-kind smile. "I'm Stefan Salvatore. My brother's been talking about you alot since the day you two met."

"You mean . . . today?" I say with a chuckle. Damon shrugs and says, "I can't forget somebody I caught in my arms, huh?"

A waitress came over and took our orders, we all ordered a steak, I went into the kitchen and ordered mine on the rare side, and when I got back to their table, we talked about Damon, Stefan and Mystic Falls. That's when Giuseppe asked me about. . .well, _me._

"Where'd you move from?" Giuseppe asked.

I pretended to look sad as I stared my hands on my lap. "I don't really like to talk about it." I completely made everything up. "That place was too horrid. My family died in a fire, and I got out alive. I tried to go back to save them, but it was too late."

Giuseppe, Stefan and Damon looked at me with sad eyes. "I'm so sorry," Giuseppe said and grabbed my small hands in both of his. "If you'd like to stay anywhere, you're welcome at our home. Anytime, any day. I'm sure Damon and Stefan would love to have some company."

"Oh, _yes_ we would," Damon said and smirked. I couldn't help but smile at them.

The waiter came back with 2 trays of 4 steaks. He served them and put mine down on the table last. Mine was _deffinately_ on the rare side.

"Is that. . . too 'rare' for you?" Giuseppe asked.

"Oh, no, it's fine, really. I'm used to un-cooked meals," I said. Obviously a lie. "My family was poor, we had 8 kids, so you can just imagine the space and room in my house." Lies, lies, lies. "I ate my meals last to leave the good things to my siblings, and yes, I was the oldest."

"Like Damon, he's the oldest," Stefan said.

"But atleast you _have_ a family," I say.

"Family is whoever you feel loved by, like Mary Jo and Sophie over there," Damon said and pointed to Mary and Sophie, eating salads and laughing at some perverted joke they must have made about me and Damon.

"They've taken care of me since I got here," I said, still staring at them. "They're my family." I turn to the Salvatores. "Damon, remember where we met? Ofcourse you do, it was today. But anyways, did you see that white stallion?"

Damon nods. I smile. "Is the corral open to visitors? Can we ride a horse?"

"Only if you buy it," Giuseppe said, chewing his steak. I cut a piece of the steak and plop it in my mouth. Yummy. _Blood_, I think to myself. _I never knew it tasted so good!_ "I really want that horse, it just looked so . . . . _majestic,_ so to say. It was just so breath-taking. I'm absolutely inlove with that stallion!"

"I saw you feeding that horse," Stefan said. "You were standing on the corral fence, I told Damon to get you down from there because one of the wooden planks was about to break off."

"You like animals?" Giuseppe asked me.

"Oh, my God, yes! As long as they don't bite me, or aren't poisonous, we're all good," I said and finished off my steak.

"How could you have eaten so quickly?" Damon asked me. "You don't even look like you touched your fork."

I shrugged and looked at Sophie and Mary Jo. They were getting up to leave. "I guess I learned to eat fast from them," I said and they looked at them. Mary Jo winked at me and I smiled at her.

"Aren't you going to go with them?" Stefan asked.

I looked at Giuseppe, then to Stefan, then to Damon. "Do you 3 want me to leave? I mean, if I'm a bother, then let me know, and I'll go. I understand if you, Giuseppe, want to be alone with your sons for the night. Family comes first."

"Don't be silly, Arianna," Giuseppe said and patted my hand with reassurance. "We love having you as company. It's nice to have somebody else to talk to."

"You're good company," Stefan says. I look at Damon and say, "So, Damon of the Salvatores, what do _you_ think?"

Damon chuckles and finishes his steak, wiping away barbecue sauce from his lips. "I think. . ." he looks at his father. "That you should come home with us."

My eyes widen at the thought and I look at Giuseppe. "Go to your house?" I say quietly.

"Yes," Giuseppe says with reassurance. "You should come over. You'd be of no bother what so ever."

"Are you sure?" I asked. "I don't want to be a burden."

"Oh, please," Stefan asks. "You're more like a long last friend than a burden."

I smile and nod, signaling a 'thank you,' to Stefan. Giuseppe stands up and so do the Salvatore brothers. And then, so do I. I follow them out the door and into a horse drawn carriage to go to the Salvatore's. Coincidentally, I sit next to Stefan, Damon's infront of me, the night, dim sky takes away the sight of him staring at me. I guess that I only saw that. I looked up at the sky. Today's the 1st month of my. . . 'making'. I'm officially a month old. But the witches told me I'm actually 18 years old.

The night sky's filled with bright stars that I couldn't take my eyes off of, and I guess that was the same to Damon, but he wasn't staring at the stars, he was staring at me. I could see his eyes twinkling under the dim street lights. Giuseppe talked about the council to Stefan, talking about . . . vampires. I gulped and felt my palms begin to sweat.

"Ah," Giuseppe said. "Here we are, my good people." We got off, Damon extended a hand to help me down, and I accepted it, when everybody was on the ground, the horse drawn carriage sped away and I stood infront of a beautiful white house. "Welcome," Giuseppe said. "To the Salvatore's home."

**~*~*~Salvatore's Home~*~*~**

Giuseppe ushered me inside, showing me the living room and dining room, that's when a beautiful girl around my age came around and hooked her arm around Stefan's.

"Arianna," Stefan said to me. "I'd like you to meet Katherine Pierce."

I smiled and did a curtsy, Katherine did one, too and we smiled at each other. "Your name's Arianna?" Katherine asked. I nodded and she said, "How. . beautiful. Absolutely love it!"

"Oh, please, have you looked at yourself?" I said kindly.

"She's officially my new best friend," Katherine said and smiled at me. Something in her eye showed that she knew about me. But how?

"Katherine's been living here for about 3 years now," Giuseppe added. "She's an honored guest, and soon, you will be, too."

I saw Katherine hook her arm around Stefan and I did the same to Damon, he didn't protest, just smiled in accomplishment. Giuseppe said, "Stay just like that. Don't you dare move!" He hurried into the kitchen and a few seconds later, came back with a camera. He clicked something and then pointed it towards us, "_Smile!_" I was surprised but none the less, I smiled for the camera. _Flash_. One picture of me and Damon. _Flash._ One picture of Katherine and Stefan. Giuseppe handed the camera to Damon and told him to get the pictures 'printed'.

Damon led me up to his room and he shut the door, I became tense. . . and hungry for blood. The blood from that steak wasn't enough. But I managed to hold the urge in.

Damon sat on his bed and I sat on a seat infront of him. "So," I said, looking around his room. "This place is. . .amazing."

"I hoped you liked it," Damon said, settling the camera down on a chair next to his bed.

"Katherine," I caught myself saying. "She's been here for. . . how long?"

"3 years. Her family was burned to death in a fire, too."

"Oh, well, it's good to see her as happy as she is with Stefan," I said. I could tell that those words hurt him, even though I didn't mean them to do so. He yawned and took off his shirt. I blinked.

"What, you aren't going to shriek and ask me why I'm taking off my clothes?" Damon asked me.

"Um . . . I don't know, should I?" I sounded so lost and confused.

Damon chuckled and took off his pants, replacing his dressing pants with a pair of sleeping pants. "Other girls would shriek or fan themselves with their hands because I'd take off my shirt. But you're calm, just sitting there. You're different."

"In a good way?" I asked. Right when I said that, a stray lock of my wavy light-brown hair fell infront of my eyes and I brushed it behind my ear. I could tell that he was staring at me, I was looking at the bed to stop myself from blushing. God, I'm such a girl. Damon took off his undershirt, revealing a bandaged stomach, a blood spot on his side. I swallowed, hard.

"Oh, God, what happened?" I asked.

"I was at shooting practice and I was shot by some imbecile in the side, I was lucky enough that there was a doctor there. That _really_ hurt."

Something in my head thought of giving him vampire blood to heal. "Um, Damon. . " I said softly. "I can heal that for you."

"Well, unless you're some sort of witch to heal me, go right ahead and try," he said, starting to take off the bandages, I quickly stopped him and gently grabbed his cheek. "Look at me," I said. I was starting to compel him. "You're going to drink my blood so you can heal, you will not be afraid." I gulped and he blinked. I felt my fangs come out and I bit my wrist hard then pressed the bleeding part to his lips. He drank my blood and I bit my lip. He let go and as soon as he did, my wrist healed and I unwrapped his bandages. I looked at the part where he said he was shot, and it was completely gone.

"It worked," I whispered, then I looked at Damon, wiping off my blood from his mouth. I looked into his eyes, compelling him again. "You're going to forget that I fed you my blood." His pupils shrunk and grew, signaling that it had worked. "Now, sleep." Just after those words softly escaped my lips, he collapsed on my chest, right ontop of my breasts, at first, I laughed, but I pushed him off of me and pulled the covers over his body. I took off my shoes beside the bed and grabbed the bundle of bloody bandages, balling them up and putting them in the trash. Just then, Giuseppe stuck his head in and looked at his son sleeping.

"He's asleep?" Giuseppe asked.

"Yeah, he was tired," I answered.

Giuseppe looked at me with confused eyes, then walked towards me. "Arianna, I know I shouldn't be telling you this, but this can't wait. Your guardian, Mary Jo, she's in the Council here in Mystic Falls, and can you give her a message for me?"

I nodded. "Ofcourse, Giuseppe."

"I need you not to tell anybody, just Mary Jo, I'm counting on you. Do you understand?"

"Yes."

"Tell her that we're going to search and kill the blood-sucking demons in 3 days. Can I trust you with that message?" Giuseppe said to me.

"Ofcourse you can. Your message is safe with me. You have my word."

That message. . blood-sucking demons? _Vampires_. They're going to search and kill vampires. Oh, God. I'm staying the night at a vampire killer's house. Worst of all, Mary Jo, Sophie and I have to get on the move onto somewhere else. But I don't want to move. I want to stay in Mystical Falls. I want to get to know Damon Salvatore. I want to stay here because of Damon. I can't leave now. If I do, I'll never see him again. I guess that's a risk that I'll have to take.


	4. Escape

**Chapter 4**

I woke up that next morning next to Damon, my arm tucked under his on his bed. He was under the covers while I remained ontop. I sat up and looked at my wrist, healed. I looked at Damon's wound. Also healed. I sighed and looked out the bright window, I'm surprised I didn't burn in the sun. But that's a con about being 'born' from witches's magic. They made me so I'd be used to the sun, it doesn't hurt me. I looked at the bedroom door, seeing Katherine.

"Look at little Arianna, getting down and dirty with Damon Salvatore," she said, her arms crossed and leaning against the door frame with her forearm.

"We didn't do anything like that, Katherine," I said back to her and slipped my shoes on. "If you'll excuse me, Mary Jo and Sophie are worried about me. I have to get going."

Katherine chuckled and grabbed my arm before I could leave. She was cold to the touch. "I know what you are," Katherine whispered into my ear. "You're just like me. You're not alone here."

My jaw dropped a bit and I looked at her, she smirked and let me go. I rubbed my eyes open and brushed my light-brown hair with my fingers. It wasn't frizzy or any of that. So, I was presentable to anybody. I looked at the clock on the wall and hurried, grabbing the door knob to get out of this house.

"Are you on a rush?" a voice came behind me.

Stefan. He was shirtless with loose, creme-colored sleeping pants.

I turned around. "Mary Jo and Sophie are waiting for me, probably worried that I didn't come home at night. I better go and check up on them. Can you . . . tell Damon that he can come by Mary Jo's any time he'd like."

Stefan nodded and smiled. "Have a nice day, Arianna."

"You, too." I gave one last flash of my smile before I went outside and softly closed the door. I looked around to see if anybody was looking my way, nope, their backs were turned to me. I inhaled and took off running faster than a bullet. I stopped behind Mary Jo's and snuck inside the house.

"What's this?" Mary Jo asked, holding up a dark cloak.

"I - - compelled somebody else."

"So, you have a cloak and a mask, what the Hell are you? Lady Zorro with a golden mask?" Mary Jo asked.

I laughed. "Nope." I thought of what Giuseppe had said about the message he wanted me to give her. "Mary Jo," I said. "Giuseppe wanted me to tell you that the Council's going to start the searching and hunting in 2 days."

"Searching and hunting?" she sounded lost.

"For vampires."

She opened her mouth in shock. "Oh, God. No." She sounded as if she was going to cry. "The council's going to trap all the vampires in Mystic Falls in a church then set that church on fire. No vampire will make it out alive. By tomorrow, you'll have to be gone."

I felt empty. "No, I can't be gone by then, I have to say goodbye to - -"

"Damon?" she asked, filling in what I was going to say.

"Yes." I gulped and held back tears. "I'm just starting to like it here. I can't just move all of a sudden."

"It's either move with Sophie and survive, or stay here and die. What do _you_ choose?"

I sighed. "I'll - - - pack my bags. Where's Sophie? Does she know?"

Mary Jo shook her head. "I'll tell her this afternoon."

"Can I go and spend the day with Damon? You know, atleast I'll have with him before I leave."

She hugged me and I hugged her back, this time, I cried. "I don't want to go," I sobbed into her shoulder. "I really like it here. This just isn't fair! I don't want to leave, Mary Jo!" I bawled on her and she let me cry, stroking my head ever so softly with her warm hands.

"You'll be safe where you're going with Sophie. You'll have each other," Mary Jo said.

"Wait. . .you're not coming with us?"

"No, I can't. If I leave like that all of a sudden, they'll know I'm with you and they'll kill me. Then, they'll come after you. It's best if I stay here."

"Where are we going, Mary Jo?" I asked.

"Wherever you want to, just keep going until you see a good, nice and quiet town. You'll like it there, wherever you're going."

"I already like it here."

"It's a good thing you didn't get too attached to this place, or it would've been harder to let go."

"It already is."

She hugged me tight and ushered me to my room. "You should have a nap before you go out for the day. I got you a new dress. You'll see it when you wake up."

"What's today?" I asked.

Mary Jo answered by saying, "Thursday. There's a Founder's Ball next Wednesday. Do you want to go?"

I nodded and buried myself in my blanket. "I'd like that very much." I shut my eyes and Mary Jo stroked the side of my face and my head. I instantly fell asleep and felt all that weight lift off my shoulders as I dreamed about a place where Damon and I could be together in harmony, somewhere where his father would never find me to rip off my head.

**~*~*~*~Founder's Ball~*~*~*~**

I was dressed in a fancy blue and white dress, the top half was light blue and the bottom layer was white. The sky is dark, the stars are out, and Mary Jo, Sophie and I are right outside the Lockwood mansion, just getting our horse drawn carriage that I 'bought' - - I just compelled the guy to give the carriage to me, and if anybody asks, he never had a horse carriage. But none the less, he's still the person that 'drives' the carriage. I compelled him to stay here for us, he sat there and waited. Good, I'm getting better at this compelling-thing.

"Arianna?"

I turned around, Stefan was there, his arm hooked around Katherine's. She looked so beautiful. I gulped looked at Stefan. "Yes?" I said.

"Damon wanted to know where you were, he'd like to speak with you. Damon's by the fountain behind the Lockwood mansion."

I raised my eyebrows and nodded, excusing Katherine and Stefan. Once they left, I turned towards Mary Jo and Sophie. "What do you think? Should I go, or stay with you two?" I asked. "I don't want to leave you two alone like how I did yesterday."

Sophie gave a sympathetic smile and looked at Mary Jo. "You're only going to be here for another day, go enjoy it, Arianna. You deserve to enjoy this special night."

I hugged them both and then pulled away gently. "Thank you. Both of you." I smiled uncontrollably and went into the Lockwood mansion. All eyes were on me, I turned my head, Mary Jo and Sophie were yards behind me. But I kept walking. A tall, slender woman grabbed my arm and looked into my eyes.

"Who are you?" she asked, holding a wine glass.

"My name's Arianna Julius Truman," I said back to her in a kind tone.

"You're new here, aren't you?"

"Yes, I am." I looked at the back doors. . . Damon's some where out there. "Excuse me, ma'm," I said with a nod. "I have a friend that's waiting for me outside." She let me go, but still kept eyes on me as I walked away. I swallowed hard and went through the back doors, I could see him, standing by the fountain that Stefan was talking about. His hands were behind his back, facing the fountain. I walked towards him slowly, making sure that he didn't hear my heart pounding all the way from where he was standing.

He turned his head when he saw me come towards him. "Did you know?" he asked me.

"About what?" I asked him back.

"What my father and the Council is going to do?"

I gulped and stayed silent for a moment. Then, nodded. "He told me to pass it on to Mary Jo."

"And did you?"

"Yes, I did."

I thought of Katherine, telling me that she's like me, that I'm not alone. "Damon . . . did you know about Katherine?"

His eyes widened and he looked around, then grabbed my arm and led me far from that party, in the Lockwood's garden. "How'd you know Katherine was a vampire?" he whispered harshly.

He. . . cares about her. I could see it in his eyes. My heart broke and fell apart with those words. "She. . .told me," I said in whisper.

"She _told_ you? Katherine wouldn't do that sort of thing. She wouldn't just expose who she is to some stranger."

"Katherine told me that because she knows what I am, Damon," I said too quickly.

Damon looked dumb-struck and he stared at me with confused eyes. "You're a . . " he looked around and whispered, " . . a vampire?"

I nodded and grabbed his forearms gently. "But, please, do _not_ tell anybody, Damon! If they find out what I really am, they'll kill me. And. . . I don't want to die." I let go of his forearms and waited for his response. If he didn't cooperate, I could just compel him to forget.

Damon looked sympathetic and he grabbed my hands, I've gone cold while he's as warm as ever. "Don't worry, Arianna. I would _never_ reveal anything like to anybody. Your secret's safe with me."

I smiled at him, then stared at the ground for a bit, then looked back up to his face. "I'm leaving in 2 days."

The look on Damon's face was as if he'd been slapped across his cheek. "What?" he asked in hushed tone.

"I can't stay here, your father and the council will come after me, including every other vampire in town. I can't die like that, Damon. I can't die in a burning church. If I'm going to die, I'd rather die with the people that I love than with some strangers on the floor of a burning building."

Damon swallowed hard and cleared his throat. "So, you're leaving . . . just like that?"

I sighed. "I wish I could stay, Damon. Really, I wish. There's something else I could do. Compel them. . . but they drink Vervain, and vampires can't compel people that drink Vervain."

"Let me come with you, you'll need the protection," he said.

I was absolutely flattered. I smiled and gently ran the back of my fingers along his smooth cheek. "I'm sorry, but it's best if you stay here. If the Council catches you helping me, they'll kill you without thinking twice. I can't risk your life."

"So, that's it? I won't ever see you again?" he frowned and pinched the bridge of his nose with his index finger and thumb. "I can't believe this is happening."

"I'll come back to see you, Damon. When I know that everybody's okay and it's safe to return."

"When will that be?" he asked harshly.

"I - - don't know. Maybe a couple of days. . . or weeks. . .or - -"

"Or years?" Damon said, finishing off what I had to say.

"I don't know, Damon. But you have to stay here and pretend like I never told you anything about what I am."

"How do I know that you've returned?" he asked.

I needed to think fast. "I'll give you a sign. You'll be fine."

"No, I won't."

I sighed and shut my eyes, looking for Katherine's voice. She was no where to be heard, nor Stefan's. . . not even Giuseppe. "Damon," I said. "Where's your brother . . and Katherine, and your father?"

"Why?"

"They're not here."

"How do you know?" he asked.

I pointed at my ears with an index finger. "Super-human hearing."

"How can they not be here?" he asked himself.

I gulped. "Could they already be. . ." I said then suddenly stopped, not wanting to continue.

"Searching and hunting - - " Damon started. "Oh, God." I heard him whisper, _Katherine_, and he looked at me. "Will you come with me? To my house, just to make sure that nothing's going on?"

"I have to warn Mary Jo and Sophie, stay here, this will only take a minute. Literally," I said and when Damon blinked, I took off running with inhuman speed and before I knew it, I was beside Mary Jo and Sophie.

"Arianna!" Mary Jo said. "What's wrong? You looked like you've just seen a ghost."

"I think we've got a problem," I said, looking from Mary Jo to Sophie. I cupped my mouth and came close to Mary Jo's ear. "I think they're starting the search and hunt."

I pulled away and she looked just as bad as me. She knew what was going on. "Oh, God," she said and grabbed Sophie's hand. "We're going home," Mary Jo said to Sophie.

"I'll meet you guys there, okay? I have to take care of something with Damon," I said.

"What? No. They'll find you there!" Mary Jo said.

"I don't care! I just told Damon what I am, and he didn't freak. He understands me. And he wanted me to stay. I can't turn my back on him now, I have to go with him."

"This could be a trap," Sophie said.

"If it is, oh well," I said and took off with that amazing inhuman speed of mine. I was right back at Damon's side. "Lets go." Damon nodded we ran towards an empty carriage, obviously not his or mine, but we got on. I tapped the 'driver's' shoulder and he looked into my eyes. _Compelling time!_

"Take us to the Salvatore mansion," I said, he blinked and whipped the reins, the horses ran. I fell aback onto Damon's lap and he stared into my eyes. I couldn't tell him how I really felt about him, I would tell him . . .if it wasn't that I think I'm about to die. I got off of Damon, sitting beside him, and the carriage made a sharp turn, once again, I fell onto Damon and he caught me in his arms so I wouldn't fly off the other side of the carriage. I gripped the side of the carriage with one hand while Damon actually _held_ my other hand. _I'm going to miss you_, I thought to myself. _More than you could ever imagine_.

I felt tears come up but I blinked hard, wiping them away. The carriage stopped and I got off with inhuman speed while Damon was just stepping on the ground. He looked at me and I managed a weak smile. I compelled the driver to go back to the Founder's Ball and forget about us. That's what he did, he hurried to the Ball and Damon and I ran to his front door. As soon as Damon was going to open the front door to his house, two men came out, carrying Katherine out and that's when a black carriage came in, they opened the back and shoved her inside, then shut the door with all kinds of locks. Katherine looked weak, they injected her with Vervain. Damon's jaw dropped a bit and he looked at me.

"You have to go, Arianna," he said.

I looked at the carriage, thinking that I'd be there right now if I didn't hurry. I nodded. I touched his face and kissed his cheek. "I'll see you again, Damon." This time, I couldn't stop the tears, I wiped them away with my palm and Damon hugged me, I felt him kiss my head. Damon screamed, "_No!_" and turned me around, he groaned in pain and I saw that a man injected Damon with Vervain in his back - - when that Vervain was meant for me. I kissed his cheek on last time and began to cry as I sped away with inhuman speed.

**~*~*~*~Mary Jo's~*~*~*~**

I shut the front door to Mary Jo's house and there Sophie was, waiting for me with two backpacks - - one strapped around her shoulders and another one on her hand, obviously mine. Mary Jo came out from my room, holding Teddy and she grabbed the extra money I put in there, shoved it in my backpack then grabbed my dress, literally ripping it in half. I was left in my bra and panties. She quickly grabbed a neatly folded green dress and ordered me to put it on.

"I took this dress from Katherine Pierce," Mary Jo said and tied to back of the dress faster than I thought was possible. "I put the mask you wanted to get you in your backpack. I put a spell on it to make it indestructible. And two indestructible necklaces that protect you from the sun, you're already immune to it, but just in case. And your black cloak is right there on the couch."

I gulped as I heard an angry mob's hollers a few blocks away. "They're close," I said, my heart pounding. Mary Jo finished tying the back of my dress and she gave me my black cloak from that round, short man. I put it on and flipped the hood over my head. She hugged me, whispering, "You're like a daughter to me, Arianna, do _not_ make me regret saying that to you. I love you so much."

I smiled and hugged her back, "I love you, too." Mary Jo pulled away and opened the back door of her small cabin house. "You two, go. Now!" she ordered and I grabbed Sophie's hand and we ran outside.

"If you two need any food, find a person, anybody, and you, Arianna, compel that person to give you money or food. Then, make them forget," Mary Jo said.

I nodded and looked at Sophie. "This will be one mighty adventure."


	5. Hello, Goodbye

**Chapter 5**

I ran with Sophie in the forest, hopefully, the Council didn't think of checking where we were, because if they did - - that would be the end of me. But that thought didn't stop me. With my black cloak covering me from the night's chill, I ran beside Sophie, making sure that she didn't get tired nor hurt. I was more worried about her than me. I'm a vampire, I can heal quicker than you can say, 'Mystic Falls.' But Sophie, she's a mortal, in a blink of an eye she can die of dehydration or pass out because of exhaustion.

I could hear Sophie panting. We've been running for about ten minutes now. "Stop," she said. I stopped.

"Come here," I said, purposely showing my back to her. "Get on my back."

"But, you're already carrying your backpack," Sophie panted.

I took off my backpack and strapped it to my front, now my back was backpack-free. "Get on."

"Are you sure?" she asked. I nodded and Sophie wrapped her arms around my neck and jumped on my back, I grabbed her legs to make sure she didn't slip and took off running faster than a bullet. Sophie buried her face in my shoulder and tried to stabilize her breathing. In the mean time, I ran. My mouth became dry and I felt my fangs come out. I needed blood. The craving was stronger than ever now. I haven't had blood since . . .well, since my transition to become what I am. I stopped in the middle of a dirt-patted street, Sophie got off of me and I collapsed onto my knees. I started to breathe hard and when I looked up at Sophie, all I wanted to do was sink my fangs into her neck and drain her of every ounce of blood in her body. That's how bad it was.

"You have to get out of here," I said through gritted teeth. "I'm craving blood really bad." Sophie started to remove her glove to offer me her wrist. "Don't you dare," I said. "If I drink even a drop of your blood, I don't think I'll stop."

Sophie nodded and grabbed my arm. "Fight it. Fight the craving until we get to somewhere safe." She literally dragged me behind a tree, that's when I heard it. The carriage. The one where about twenty-seven vampires were in. I could hear Stefan's voice whispering to Damon. Damon. I had to go back there and tell him how I feel about him. I'm literally about to leave. Why not just spill everything I want to say to him . . . before I leave Mystic Falls and never come back?

"Sophie," I said to her. "Find somewhere dark and stay there. I'm going to Damon. Please, just- - " and all my hairs on the back of my neck and arms stood up. I heard two gun shots, the worst part was that I heard Damon and Stefan give out a horrible groan of pain. My mouth dropped a bit and Sophie looked at me with worried eyes.

"What's wrong, Arianna?" Sophie asked.

"Gun shots. I heard gun shots," I said, I heard my voice quaking.

"They're close, aren't they?"

"A mile or two away. I see a big tree behind you, there's a cave-like opening at the bottom, go there and _stay_ there, Sophie."

Sophie grabbed my arm and whispered, "Be careful, Arianna."

I nodded and I turned around, then ran towards where I heard the gun shots. I could hear the mob of vampire-haters run away, far from Damon and Stefan. I heard the carriage ride away, also far from Damon. Good, I was safe. Only for a bit before the mob could find me. I ran faster, I felt the chilly air freeze my nose and I felt my mouth become dryer. I stopped in the middle of a dirt road, I hunched over and caught my breath. Why am I tired? Dehydration? Because of blood. . . I _need_ blood. Now. I turned my head as I smelled it. Blood. My jaw dropped, I stopped breathing. It was Damon and Stefan, they were shot and now on the ground. I ran towards Damon and put my ear on his chest. His heart beat was very slow. He was at the brink of death.

"No, Damon," I said in a whisper. "Please, don't die."

Damon let out a small breath and I patted his cheek hard, practically slapping him. "Wake up, Damon! Please!" Now, I was crying. Tears streamed my face and fell onto his shirt, some of my tears fell on his cheek. I lied down next to him and bawled like a baby. I kissed his cheek, his skin was cold.

"I really liked you," I whispered into his ear. "If you can hear me, that's what I want you to know. Ever since I met you, I've had strong feelings for you. I should've told you how I felt about you before any of this happened. I fell for you, Damon." My words were barely a whisper as tears ran down my face. "I'm so sorry this happened to you." I lifted myself up and sniffled back tears, I lied my head on his chest. . . and started crying even more. He's gone. Dead. I felt everything inside of me break and shatter with anger and sadness. I felt my sadness take its toll into depression. And my anger turned to fury. My craving for blood tripled itself and I stood up, I heard somebody coming. It wasn't Sophie.

"Oh, God," the man said, he was a yard or two away from. "Giuseppe!" he called and I ran to him with inhuman speed, then dug my fangs into his neck. Blood rushed into my mouth and I wouldn't let a drop escape. He groaned in pain and I felt his skin turn cold. His body went limp and he unwillingly fell to the floor. I killed him. I started crying as I looked at what I'd done, then I looked at Damon. I ran to him and knelt beside him, stroking his cheek and - - hesitating at what I was about to do - - I leaned down and ever-so-gently pressed my lips to his cold ones.

I pulled away and one of my tears landed on his cheek. "I love you." I gulped and brushed one of his curly dark locks away from his face and slowly stood up. I looked at Damon one last time, a tear running down my face, I took off with unbelievable speed. I was actually running faster. I felt stronger, faster, more alive. But, for now, lets take away the fact that I kissed a dead man.

* * *

I stopped infront of the tree I told Sophie to stay at, I called her name. No response. Oh, God. Where was she!? Just then, she came out of no where and grabbed my side hard. I yelped and turned around, grabbing her wrists and I sighed in relief. "What the _Hell_ were you doing?" I asked in whisper. She noticed the blood on my mouth.

"You . . drank blood?" Sophie asked silently.

I nodded. "I feel a lot better," I said. Then, I thought of Damon. I gulped. "They're dead. Stefan and Damon. . they're dead. I was too late."

Sophie frowned and held me as I cried. "You didn't turn them?" she asked.

"No. What if they didn't want to be vampires? I'm not going to force them to be something they're not." I gulped. "I'm going to find him. The person who killed Damon and Stefan."

"What?! No. That's not an option, Arianna!" Sophie said. "We _need_ to go. If you there, you'll die! That's a suicidal mission!"

I looked down at the ground crying. "I'm so _angry_, Sophie. I'm going to find the person who killed Damon, after I find him, I'll rip his head off!"

"You do that, Arianna, and you'll risk exposing yourself!"

"Well I think the risk will be slightly diminished when I, you know, rip his head of."

Sophie grabbed my arm and shook her head. "Don't do it, Arianna, you're going to die if you that."

I picked up my backpack and strapped it infront of me. "Lets keep running, just a few miles so we can set up camp, then in the morning, we keep going."

Sophie blinked and nodded. "You're doing the right thing." I told Sophie to get on my back, she did so and I took off.

_The right thing?_ I think to myself. _The right thing is ripping off the killer's head._

* * *

Sophie and I stopped far, _far_ from Mystic Falls. I felt empty, mad, and - - well, like what the vampire side of me would want to do. Sophie and I built a make-shift bed out of pine needles and a blanket I. . . 'borrowed'. . . from some people far from where we were. I took another blanket made for a queen bed - - it was a quilt made form colorful fabrics. I set it ontop of Sophie when she fell into a deep sleep. I brought her food before she was knocked out, so she had a full belly when she slept. My anger took its toll and I ended up drinking the blood of a rabbit. I was full now. But my anger was still there. My sadness still taunted me.

I sat beside the make-shift bed, watching Sophie sleep, but keeping my guard up, in case somebody came. My backpack caught my eye an I remember what Mary Jo had said. '_I put the mask you wanted to get you in your backpack,_' is what Mary Jo had told me. I grabbed my backpack from beside Sophie's and unzipped the first big pocket, there it was. The gold mask. I put the mask on, tying the golden strips of ribbon behind my head and flipped the hood of my black cloak. I looked over at Sophie. "Sorry," I whisper. I'm getting my revenge. Even if it's the last thing I do.

In a speedy twist of my feet, I took off. I couldn't hear anything, the mob was gone. They thought the vampires were all gone. But guess what, idiots? You sort of missed one. And she's coming to get you.

**~*~*~*~Mystic Falls~*~*~*~**

I'm right outside of the Lockwood mansion, I run into the house, opening the front door - - luckily, it was unlocked - - and I ran upstairs with inhuman speed. Mayor Lockwood looked at me, my black cloak's hood gave a shadow over my face and with the golden mask I was wearing, you could barely tell who I was.

He stumbled aback when he saw me. "What are you doing in my house?" he asked.

"Who killed them?" I asked.

"What are you talking about?"

"I hate repeating myself, Mayor Lockwood. I'm going to say this _one_ more time. _Who_ killed Stefan and Damon Salvatore?"

He gulped and grabbed the desk he hit with his back. "You were there?" he asks.

"_I_ ask the questions here. _You_ answer them! Do I make myself clear?" I ask him back.

"Crystal . . " he was officially frightened.

"Now, _who_ killed Stefan and Damon Salvatore?"

He looked at the ground, thinking. "I - - don't remember."

I stepped closer and he became tense. I grabbed his face with one hand and looked into his eyes, he looked into mine. "Remember! _Who_ killed Stefan and Damon Salvatore?!" I harshly spat, compelling him. He blinked, his breathing calmed.

". . . Giuseppe Salvatore," he said quietly. "He killed Stefan and Damon."

My jaw dropped a bit and I let go of him. Fury grew inside of me. "You and your damn Council burned those vampires in that church." I looked into his eyes and he gulped. "When you wake up, tell your council that there's one last vampire in town. And I'm _not_ leaving," I said, compelling him once again. He blinked.

"When I wake up?" he asked. I bit my wrist hard and shoved the wounded, bleeding part into his mouth. He unwillingly drank and I pulled my wrists away him. "Good night," I said wickedly and snapped his neck. His lifeless body collapsed on the floor and I looked down at him. "Payback's a bitch, isn't it?" I asked him and inhaled. Somebody was coming. A woman. His wife.

"Honey, what's - -" the woman said and screamed when she saw her husband dead on the floor. I looked at her and grabbed her face hard, then looked into her eyes.

"Forget that you saw me!" I exclaimed and compelled her. I let her go and ran with that handy-dandy inhuman speed to somebody who I never thought I'd have to kill. Damon's father.

Not long after, I was right outside the Salvatore mansion, I grabbed the door knob and opened he door. I ran inside, upstairs, checked all the rooms. . . except his office. That's where I went in and there he was. . .Giuseppe Salvatore. . . sitting in his chair, startled when he saw me. But he obviously didn't recognize me because of the shadow and golden mask covering my face.

"Who are you?" Giuseppe asked.

I chuckled. "Hmm. . . I thought that _you_, out of everybody, would know who I am."

"Oh, God. _Arianna_? _You're_ a vampire? No. _How_? First Katherine, and now _you?_"

"Things happen that you don't expect. . like how I fell head-over-heels for your son. You remember him, right? Damon? Oh, and lets not forget the baby brother, Stefan. Or did you throw them to the curb when you find out they were friends with a vampire? You did more than just 'throw them to the curb', you _shot_ them!" I harshly exclaimed. "You _shot_ your own sons! I mean, how _horrible_ is that? People say that vampires are cruel. . . but _you_, you crossed that line completely."

"They brought dishonor to my family. I couldn't risk it," he said, trying to be brave.

"Risk what? The acceptance of others? Complete strangers are more important than your own flesh and blood? What's _wrong_with you, Giuseppe?"

"You wouldn't understand."

"You're right, I wouldn't. Nobody would. _Who_ in their right _mind_ would kill their own sons? Too bad I'm here, it's time for revenge."

He lifted up a vile of a transparent liquid. "I drink Vervain everyday, if you bite me, you'll just weaken yourself."

"Oh, believe me, I don't want to drink your blood. I'm going to kill you without draining any blood from your body."

"H-how will you do that?" Giuseppe asked. He was at the brink of crying to his mommy.

I grabbed a knife that was lying on a table and with inhuman speed, I embedded the knife into his stomach and he screamed in pain, dropping to his knees and rolling onto his back. I clutched the knife and yanked it out, that hurt him even more. "Imagine the pain your sons felt when that bullet went into them!" I yelled, grabbing him by the collar of his shirt and literally lifted him off of the ground. "I loved him, Giuseppe!" I spat harshly. "I loved Damon!" I threw him against his desk, his heavy body shattered his desk and he groaned in pain. I threw him against the wall and bit my wrist hard, my blood seeped out and I brought it to his mouth and he pushed me away, but I was stronger than him. I made him drink it and when I heard him swallow twice, I let him go and stood up.

"There, you're going to heal," I said.

Giuseppe got up and felt his stomach, it healed. "Are you going to turn me?"

"No. But speaking of which, I turned Mayor Lockwood. I healed you because I'm not like you. I'm better than you. But when you die, I hope you go to Hell, the deepest, hottest part of Hell. So you can burn for all eternity!" I yelled at him and turned around, running down the stairs and exiting the mansion. I ran into the forest and sat down behind a wall of bushes, watching the Salvatore mansion, to see if Giuseppe was dumb enough to leave.

About three hours passed and I heard something . . somebody running faster than an animal. Just as fast as me. Did a vampire escape being burned in the church? No. I looked towards the mansion and saw a shadowy figure entering the mansion. It was deffinately a vampire. And I recognized him from the back. I shut my eyes and focused on the voices.

"_What are you doing here?_" Giuseppe asked the intruder. "_You're suppose to be dead!_"

I opened my eyes when I figured out who he was talking to. Stefan. He was talking to Stefan. I looked towards the house and waited for him to come out. If he was alive. . . would Damon be, too? I waited out there, with my black hood flipped up over my head, my golden mask over my eyes, and in that chilly air for about fifteen minutes before he came out, he was about to run. I took off towards him but it was too late. He ran. . . but I ran after him. I made sure that he didn't get away. I even took 'short-cuts'. I sped up and tackled him to the ground. Now, I was ontop of Stefan, I was holding down his arms hard on the ground and I made sure he didn't move.

"What the Hell?" Stefan grunted, trying to get up. He couldn't. "Who are you?"

"It's me, Stefan!" I said and let go of him, flipping down my hood and taking off my mask.

"Arianna?" he asked with disbelief.

I nodded and got off of him, helping him to his feet. "How are you alive, Stefan?" I asked him and put on my mask, then flipped up my hood.

"I can't be here right now, Arianna. I have to go to Emily. It's urgent. Please, don't follow me."

I wanted to stop him, to ask him if Damon was okay, but I swallowed and made myself forget that question. "I saw you. You were dead. So, I guess you're a vampire."

He stopped and looked at me. "Don't tell anybody."

When I blinked, he was gone. Was he trying to compel me? I looked down and couldn't find him. I didn't bother, I thought about that really hard. Just because Stefan's a vampire, doesn't mean Damon is, too.


	6. Niklaus

**I will try to post ONE new chapter everyday! Thanks to all who are reading! Could you do me a favor and review for me? Thanks!**

* * *

**~*~*~ 2 weeks later - Midnight ~*~*~**

I was in a snow-white knee-length silk night gown with a matching long-sleeved silk cover that reached a bit passed my knees. That was given to me by Charlene - - the woman I compelled to let me stay here. I also compelled Charlene to give me a tea that puts you into a deep sleep, it was a strange, strong herb and some sort of other plant dipped into steamed water until the 'tea' came out. I made Sophie drink it so I wouldn't wake her when I left the house. That's exactly what I did, I opened the window to our bedroom and crawled out of it, then climbed the side of the house until I got to the roof. I crossed my arms over my chest and walked up the slanted roof, I stopped at the top, when I saw Niklaus sitting close to the edge.

"I heard you climb out of your window. Why are you here?" Niklaus asked me.

"Maybe I should be the one asking _you_ that, Niklaus."

I nodded, even though he couldn't see me - his back was turned to me - and he patted an empty spot next to him, saying, "Come and sit." I did so, making sure that my silk sleep wear didn't fly up because of the wind.

"_Why_ are you out here?" Niklaus asked me.

"I . . uh . . needed to get out. I kept thinking of home."

"Mystic Falls?"

I blinked. "How'd you know that?"

"I know everything about you. After all, it was _my_ blood that gave you life. In order for the Bennett witches to make you into a vampire, they needed vampire blood. So, they used mine."

"But I don't look like you. . " I said.

"They just used my blood to create you, they didn't put any of my devilishly-handsome qualities on you. They made you into this ravishing creature." He eyed me up and down then gave a perfect smug look.

"Don't look at me like that," I sarcastically said to him and laughed. "You're an odd Original."

"Just because I'm over nine-hundred years old doesn't mean I'm no fun."

"Well, are you?"

"Am I what?" He asked, obviously confused. I sighed. He's drunk.

"Are you fun?" I asked. "Oh, and you're drunk."

"_Hell_ yes! I'm a whole lot of fun! And you're correct about that, too, Arianna. I'm indeed, a-hundred percent drunk." He looked at me, grabbed my hands and got to his feet, dragging me along with him. "Do you want to do something fun?" he asked me with that weird smug look on his face.

"What kind of -"

"Do you want to do something _really_ really fun?" he asked me again, interrupting me in the middle of my sentence.

I shrugged. "Depends on what we're going to do."

Niklaus scooped me up in his arms and told me to hold on, I wrapped my arms around his neck as he bent his knees and jumped higher than I'd ever seen. He jumped from tree to tree in a speed faster than I could ever run. The harsh wind was slapping my face and I buried myself in his chest. Something caught my hair and it released my long, wavy locks, they were flowing back-and-forth as Niklaus practically flew. I could his eyes on me, but I didn't dare look up. _I love Damon, not Niklaus_, I thought to myself. _Don't you think like that, Arianna!_ There was this small seed of passion growing for Niklaus, I was afraid that one day it'd sprout into this uncontrollable feeling. But. . . I loved Damon. Could I really stay inlove with a dead man? For God's sake, I don't even know how he felt about me. What if I'm inlove with Damon, when he doesn't have a speck of feelings for me? Am I really throwing everything away just for Damon? I don't even know if he's alive - - more or less.

**Damon's POV**

A few weeks ago, my younger brother, Stefan, made me drink the blood of a human. And I drank it. It felt good to do that, to drink the blood of that girl. But it also feels horrible, to take away a human's life. Stefan told me I could turn it off, the emotions, the guilt, the pain.

Before I was unconscious from the gun shot of some person from the Council, I heard Katherine whisper '_I love you_'. . . but it wasn't to me. It was to Stefan. Stefan. It will always _be_ Stefan, that won't change. Stefan's always gotten the girls, even when he doesn't want to. But he does. And that makes me so furious. The only love I've experienced was with Katherine. Why didn't she say that she loves me before she was taken away to the church to be burned? Why not _me?_ Why is it always _Stefan_?!

But before I blacked out from this world, I could hear somebody else's voice, when everybody and everything seemed to hush down and die out, I heard her voice. Arianna. Her sweet, kind voice talking to me. And I could hear every word that escaped her lips. I could only focus on her. She said, '_If you can hear me, that's what I want you to know. Ever since I met you, I've had strong feelings for you. I should've told you how I felt about you before any of this happened. I fell for you, Damon._' She. . . fell for me? The new girl, so beautiful, so gentle and kind, she seemed as if she couldn't even kill a fly. Arianna.

The woman I wanted to dance with at the Founder's Ball, but no. . . that night was ruined when my father decided to take things under his own hands. This is also Stefan's fault, if he would've just stayed at the Ball, dancing with Katherine, everything would probably be okay. I could be with Arianna to forget all about Katherine, because now that I'm a vampire, everything's coming back to me. She was compelling me so I could keep her secret of being what she is. A vampire. She compelled me to be okay with the fact that she was sleeping with both me and Stefan. Arianna, the girl that seemed like the only person in the world to be honest with me. And where is she? I don't know. I know she's a vampire and that she compelled me to forget that I told her that, does that mean that the Council capture her and threw her into the burning church? No, not another woman that I love. Not another person killed by the Council.

I try to take that thought out of my head, the thought of Arianna being burned alive in that church with other vampires. For some reason, I have this feeling in the pit of my stomach, that she's still alive. I'm going to look for her. I'll get that picture printed, the one that my father took with Arianna and I in it, along with Katherine and Stefan. I'll print out her picture and make a 'LOST' poster, then post them around town, over a dozen towns if I have to, to see if she's still alive. And just to make it a little more obvious of who I am, I'll sign it with my initials, D.S., so if she ever happens to see it - if she's alive - she'll know it's from me. And that I'm searching for her. But I can't get my hopes up, I can't be inlove with a dead woman forever.

**Arianna's POV**

About two weeks ago, Niklaus and I started my training. We trained for hours each day, only stopping for short breaks. On the first day of training, he threw me into the lake and dove right in next to me. After that, those few days have been rather - - 'emotional', so to say. I guess? He told me about his family, how his little brother, Henrik, died of a werewolf attack, and a bunch of other things I swore to keep secret. After the first week, he told me that he was starting to get feelings for me. He also told me that he was trying to ignore them, because everyone he loved died before he could do anything about it. "It's hard to ignore it when I see you everyday, I think about you every minute, and constantly find myself dazing off day dreaming about you," is what Niklaus said to me. I couldn't help but smile. But I also couldn't help but think about Damon. Him, the very first guy I fell for. And he's dead. Could I _really_ love a dead man for all eternity? Or would it be the smart thing to have closure, and move on? Option 2. Deffinately. Niklaus had lead me to a mountain not far from the town we were staying at, the sky was dark and the moon was full. He set me down beside the mountain, and that's when I saw it, another lake that was three-times the size of the one behind Charlene's house. Niklaus took off his shirt and when he took off his pants, I stopped him by saying, "Whoa whoa! _What_ are you doing? You can't just take your clothes off like that!" I pulled his pants up.

"Ah, are you helping me take off my clothes?" he asked with a smug look.

"No, Niklaus. Put your pants o- -" I started but cut off by Niklaus.

"Do you know what we're doing here?" he asked.

"Swimming?"

"Skinny dipping."

"Skinny _what_? I'm not going in there."

"Or would you rather swim in your pajamas?" Niklaus asked and gave me a smug look. I passed a hand through my light brown, wavy locks and sighed, gripping the end of my silk sleep wear shirt.

"_Only_ this once! Just because I've never done this before and if vampires are after me, I might as well live as if I'm going to die tomorrow." I took off my shirt, revealing my bra, I took off my sleep wear pants, revealing my panties. As I searched for the back of my bra and I found Niklaus staring at me.

"Uhh. . ." I stuttered. "You can - - go ahead and get in the water, I'll just. . . get ready."

"Don't you mean _un_ready?"

I made a 'pshh' sound with my mouth and unhooked my bra. "Turn around, go into the water, and _stay_ turned around until I say so, okay?" I didn't take off my bra until he turned around, took off his pants and - oh, God - his boxers and went into the lake. I sighed, holding my breath as I quickly took off my bra and undies, then crossed my arms over my chest as I stepped into the water. God, it was freezing. I made sure my - - - 'chest' wasn't revealed as much and cleared my throat. "You can - - um - - turn around now." Niklaus turned around and eyed me up and down. I pointed at my face. "Eyes up here, please."

I eyed Niklaus's toned, sculpted body. He looked like a naked vampire god. I didn't dare look any further than his stomach. I kept my eyes above the waist.

"Are we going to stand here or swim?" Niklaus said and dove in head-first behind himself. I walked further in the lake, now I was stomach- deep. Before I knew it, my breasts were under water and I stopped, looking for Niklaus. He wasn't anywhere to be seen. Did he drown? "Kaus?" I called. I was about to turn around, right before a pair of arms were wrapped around my body and a pair of lips were on my ear, whispering, "Did I scare you?" That seducing voice, it can be none other than Niklaus. I jumped in his arms and turned around, seeing his hair slicked back with water, the hairs on his arms were standing up.

"Goosebumps?" I say, passing my hands up and down his arms. The goosebumps didn't go away.

Niklaus looked at me, not my body, just me. My face, my eyes, my lips, everything on my face. "I fancy you, Arianna," he said out of no where with a sincere smile.

"You - - what?" I asked, obviously surprised with what I just heard.

"I fancy you," he repeated.

I opened my mouth to say something but I stopped to think. I'm inlove with Damon, could he be dead? It's been over 2 weeks, if their was no sign of him, then he'd be dead. I can't stay inlove with a dead man forever. But I do have feelings for NiNiklaus. "I 'fancy' you, too, Niklaus."

"So, it wouldn't bother you if I did this - -" he asked and before I knew it, his lips were on mine and my hands were on his chest so I could pull away, but I didn't want to. He kept on with it, kissing me when I wanted to pull away, because the only person I could think about was Damon. But I had to suck it up and deal with the fact that Damon's dead. So I kissed Niklaus back. I pulled away when I was running out of air to breathe.

"I thought we were going to swim, not make out in the middle of the lake," I said.

"That can be rearranged, love," Niklaus said and gave me a smug look. "Now, what do you say we - -" before he could finish off his sentence, I felt a sharp pain in my back. As if somebody shot me. Niklaus turned me around, getting a good look at my back. I could feel the anger seeping out of him. I've been shot. He didn't even take the bullet out, he just scooped me up ran like the wind to where our clothes were. He put on his pants and shirt, and slipped my pants and shirt on me, I screamed in pain as he put the on me, the silk sticking to my back. The bullet burned in my flesh. I knew what that was. Vervain. Niklaus scooped me up in his arms and ran faster than the bullet that shot me back to Charlene's house.

**~*~Charlene's House~*~**

Niklaus set me down on his bed, shutting the window we came through and taking off my shirt. He dug his fingers into my back - where the bullet had gone through and pried it out. He let out a groan of pain when he got it out for some reason, I turned to him as he let it go, his fingers were burning. Deffinately Vervain.

"That was a wooden bullet," Niklaus said to me. "With a bit of Vervain on it. Are you okay?"

I nodded. "Ofcourse I'm okay. I'm a vampire."

Niklaus sighed in relief, although the sigh came out rather forcefully. "Whoever shot you obviously knows you're a vampire, so you have to get going. You need to get out of here by tomorrow."

"By myself?" I asked. "What about Soph- -"

"I'm going with you. What are you, insane? I'm not going to let you travel like that all by yourself. Not after what just happened back at the lake."

I looked at him, he looked down at me and got up, grabbed something from a hanger and dried my face with it. A towel. He handed it to me and I looked at Niklaus's bedroom door - making sure that it was locked - and got up, taking off my clothes.

"Whoa!" Niklaus said. "You're taking off your clothes. . ?"

"Oh, come on, Niklaus," I said, taking off my pants. "You _just_ saw me naked out there."

I patted myself dry and slipped on a night gown. "There, is _this_ better?" I asked him, talking about my whole taking-off-my-clothes thing.

"Actually, I think I prefer you stripped down to your panties," he said as he lied down on his bed. I threw the towel he gave me at his face and he caught it, throwing it to the side. I grabbed my things and reached for the door to go to my room where Sophie and I slept, when Niklaus ran with inhuman speed behind me, turning me around and grabbing my waist with his hands. "Don't tell me you're leaving so soon?" he said and pretended to frown.

"I have to put my clothes up so they can dry," I said.

"Forget about your clothes, love. Leave them here and spend the night with me. What do you say?" he asked and smiled at me.

I nodded and ran my hands over his cheeks. "Fine, only this one night."

"This is the only night you'll have here. By tomorrow, we'll have to go. It's not safe for you here anymore."

I sighed and softly pushed him away, throwing myself back-first onto his king-sized bed and going under the covers. "I can't believe I'm leaving again. I literally just got here a few weeks ago." Niklaus got under the covers next to me and tucked his arm under my neck, pulling me closer to him. "You'll be safe wherever we're going, okay? Listen, love, we'll go somewhere completely different, far from here. Somewhere where we can actually settle down and live in without some hunters coming after you."

I sighed. "That would be nice. Somewhere that we can call home. The longest I've ever stayed in one place was for about three months. In Mystic Falls."

"I've heard of that place, I also heard that they burned twenty-seven vampires in a church. Is that true?" he asked me.

I nodded. "I knew a vampire that was burned in the church. Katherine Pierce." Something in Niklaus's eyes showed recognition of the name. But he didn't say anything. I yawned and leaned my head against his chest. "I gotta pee." I could hear Niklaus laugh. "Wait, I thought I was dead. Why do dead things gotta pee?" Niklaus laughed again, a bit harder, and I felt him plant a kiss on my cheek.

"Go to sleep, Arianna," Niklaus said. "Tomorrow's going to be a grand day."

**Next Morning**

I woke up without the warmth of Niklaus to keep me warm. Nor his arms that were wrapped around me. I looked around, passing a hand through the top of my head, de-tangling my hair. I headed towards the door and I rubbed my eyes open as I went to the room Sophie was sleeping in. I went in and said, "Sophie, are you awake?" But as my eyes focused on the light coming into the bedroom, I saw that she wasn't there. "Sophie?" I called. Just then, a pair of arms circled around me and I recognized the warmth of the arms. Niklaus. I turned around with lightning-fast speed and flipped him over me, he landed on the floor on his back and I was ontop of him in a blink of an eye. I held his arms over his head and he smiled at me.

"Good morning to you, too, Arianna," Niklaus said.

I smiled at him and kissed him ever-so-quickly before I heard Sophie's footsteps coming up the stairs. I looked up and got off of Niklaus, he quickly got up and I sat on my bed, looking at the door way. "Act natural," I muttered and that's when Sophie came in, her shoulder-length dark hair up in a messy bed-time bun.

"Good morning, Arianna, Niklaus," Sophie said and sat on her directly across from me.

Niklaus sighed and looked at me. "Should we tell her?" he asked me. I nodded. Niklaus looked at Sophie and said, "Arianna and I were out last night, having fun by the lake - -" I wanted to say, _Don't you mean getting out of our clothes and skinny dipping? Or should I say making out completely naked?_ Niklaus kept going by saying, "And somebody shot her, I got her here as soon as possible - -" he looked at me, signaling to continue to the story.

"And when Niklaus got the bullet out, we found out it was a _wooden_ bullet - -" I said.

"What's wrong with that? It's just a wooden bu- -"

"The bullet was covered in Vervain," I said quickly, cutting her off. "You can't tell me that some random person shot their wooden Vervain-covered bullet at a random angle and it happened to get me right in my back."

Sophie looked confused. "And why are you telling me this?" she asked.

"I'm leaving," I said with a frown.

"_What?_ But we just got here," Sophie said.

"You don't have to go with us, Sophie," Niklaus said, leaning his back against the wall, crossing his arms over his chest. "You can stay if you want to. The people here absolutely adore you."

"Really?" Sophie asked with a smile on her face.

"If you want to stay- -" I started. "- - you can, this is all up to you. If you _do_ decide to stay, you don't have to worry about me. I'll come and visit you every chance I get to. You know I won't just abandon you like that."

Sophie sighed. "I want to stay."

I nodded. "That's what I would've chosen for you. Are you sure you want to stay?"

"Yes, Arianna. I do. I want to stay."

I got up, hugged her and said, "Like I said, I'll come and visit you." I pulled away and Sophie seemed as if she just had a gorilla lifted off her shoulders. I guess my violent life was too much for her. And I wouldn't want her to burden all of what I'm going to go through. "So," I said. "Do you want to help me get ready for when I leave?"

Sophie nodded. "I'd be honored." She smiled at me and I shooed Niklaus away, when Sophie's back was turned, Niklaus ran to me with his inhuman speed, grabbed my face, quickly kissed me and just as quick as he came, he disappeared. Sophie helped me into a dark-blue dress that scooped too low and showed too much - -

"Whoa," Sophie said. "Look at you with those hooters!" We both laughed. "I'm guessing that those honkers of yours is something else that Niklaus likes about you." I face-palmed myself and we laughed hard.

"You're one perverted little witch, Sophie," I said with sarcasm.

"More or less. People these days have absolutely no humor, can you believe that? And those rich folk have that fake, annoying laugh that makes me want to rip out my hair," Sophie says and tightens the strings to my dress. We laugh about that, too. Our laughter, like music to my ears. I was going to miss that, the way Sophie laughed. She was like a sister to me. A sister from another mister. Sophie finished off my dress and she brushed my hair with her hair brush. She styled it in a way that made it into a wavy half up-do. And I looked perfect.

"You have one amazing hand for hair," I say, checking my hair out in the mirror nailed to the wall.

"I can only do your hair that great, I tried it on Charlene. It seemed as if there were baby chicks clawing their way through her hair, and that wasn't the worst part, Arianna. When I was done, it looked like the most fluffiest afro you've ever seen!"

We both laughed a while and she put her hands behind her back, signaling that she was done. I stood up and that's when Niklaus came in, eyeing me up and down. He smiled in approval. "Wow," he said. "You look absolutely beautiful, Arianna."

"Thanks," I said to him, eager to kiss him oh-so bad, but stopping myself infront of Sophie.

"I put your backpack in the carriage, and I put some crates in the back, too," he said, raising his eyebrows when he said _crates_, meaning the crates full of blood bags. Yum! "I compelled Charlene and everybody else to forget that there was ever an Arianna Julius Truman and Niklaus Mikelson living in her lovely home."

I nodded. "Good." Sophie grabbed my shoulder and said, "Can I walk you to the carriage?"

"Ofcourse," I said and hooked my arm around her own. We walked down the three-story mansion and out the front door, the sun beat down on me hard, that's when I saw it, the horse-drawn carriage. Niklaus opened the door to the carriage for me and I turned to Sophie to hug her good bye.

"Good bye, Sophie," I said to her, at the brink of tears.

"Farewell, Arianna," she said to me, her voice quaking.

I smiled at her and stepped into the carriage, sitting at the corner seat, staring at Sophie as Niklaus got in. He ordered the driver of the carriage to hurry along and we took off with a bumpy start. I turned around and waved goodbye to Sophie. Oh, God. How much I was going to miss her. My best friend. I hated myself for a minute because of that moment. As I waved goodbye, I could only think of one thing to say to her. _Farewell, old friend._

**Afternoon**

The carriage stopped in the middle of the woods because the driver had to - - take care of personal business. So it was just Niklaus and I, drinking the blood from a blood bag. One of the many crates that Niklaus packed in the back was up here, beside our feet, in close reach if we get hungry. The horses also had to take a break, they were eating grass and drinking lake water to regain their energy. Niklaus and I stayed inside, as soon as we were done with 'breakfast', he started to kiss me, then slowly go down to my neck, gripping my sides some-what hard and in a blink of an eye, he'd pulled me around his waist. Now, I was sitting on his lap, my chest on his and his lips wandering around my neck, lips and chest. I stopped him when I felt his hands tighten around my waist.

"W-what are you doing?" I asked him with a chuckle in my voice. "Not in here, Niklaus."

He smiled and loosened his grasp on me. "I love it when you call me that."

"Call you what? By your name?"

"People call me Klaus, or Nik, but _you_ call me Niklaus. Only you, love."

I planted a short kiss on his lips and got off, grabbing a blood bag from the crate. He grabbed my wrist and looked at it. "I wonder what vampire blood tastes," he says and I retrieve my wrist from him with a laugh. His fangs came out and I shrugged, giving him my wrist.

"Knock yourself out," I said as I drank from the blood bag. I felt his fangs sink into my flesh and - at first - I flinched, but I quickly got used to the pain. He retrieved himself from my wrist and I saw the small wound heal quickly.

"That was delicious, love," he said with that perfect British accent and planted a bloody kiss on my cheek. I laughed and playfully pushed him away with one hand, then wiping away my blood from his lips that he put on my face. I looked at him with an awkward grimace and kept drinking the blood from the blood bag I was holding.

"Who knew that such a hard-core ass-kicker would be in a dainty little creature?" he asked and looked at me. I looked down at my feet, then looked out the window of the horse-drawn carriage, looking at the sun rising, thinking about how Sophie liked to get up before the sun came out, wanting to watch that giant, blazing ball of fire to come up and warm her. I sighed and felt my eyes water.

"She's going to die," I said quietly to myself. "Sophie's going to die like everybody else."

"Ofcourse, Arianna. She's human," Niklaus said to me and grabbed my hand in his.

"I want to turn her, so I won't have to be alone. But she wants to be normal, she wants to have a normal life, have a normal family, and everything else that normal humans want. I can't take away what she wants the most just because I don't want to be alone."

"You're not alone. It's normal to care for somebody, and if Sophie wants to be a normal human being, you let her. And even if she dies, she'll be with you. Atleast you have people to call family."

"Your family isn't alive?"

Niklaus looked at his feet, then swung an arm around my shoulders. "The only living siblings I have are my younger sister and brother. Rebekah and Elijah."

"Where are they?" I asked.

"Waiting for us. They're staying at where we're going."

I didn't ask where, I just shut my mouth and nodded. "I can't wait to meet them."

"See, Arianna? You're not alone."

I planted a soft kiss on his cheek - - which was surprisingly warm - - and entwined his fingers with mine. At the same time that I did that, it didn't feel right. . . I kept thinking of Damon. There was a pin-sized hole in my heart that grew bigger with each passing day, just thinking about him made me want to crawl into a hole in the ground and die. But I'm a vampire, that would probably be hard to do.

I felt comfortable with Niklaus, knowing that he'll protect me even if he's at the brink of death. Every time I closed my eyes, I see Damon's face smiling back at me. That just kills me inside.

Niklaus hears something and he spins his head around too quick, making his neck crack. I wince and I see him smile at the wilderness outside. "I guess they're coming early," Niklaus said to me, but staring at the trees.

"Who?" I asked. Just then, something yanked the carriage door on my side so hard that it ripped off and fell to the ground. I screamed and as quick as I opened my mouth, that same 'something' grabbed _me_ and threw me against the ground. I opened my eyes and saw that it was a young woman, around my age, with long, curly blonde hair and dark green eyes that saw straight through your soul. She hissed at me with her fangs flashed out, I did the same. I felt the veins around my eyes bulge and my eyes turned dark. Her face lightened up, her demon-like eyes faded away, and her fangs shrunk into normal canine teeth. She smiled at me.

"Rebekah!" Niklaus exclaimed and ran towards us. Rebekah kept eyeing me, searching my face.

"Nik," Rebekah said in soft voice. "_This_ is the Vampire Slayer?"

Two arms wrapped around Rebekah's stomach and lifted her off of me. It wasn't Niklaus. It was a man shorter than Niklaus but taller than Rebekah by an inch or two. He had short black hair and dark eyes to go with it. He dropped Rebekah to his side and helped me up. I brushed off the dirt and leaves from my skirt.

"Jesus," I muttered and pried off a spider from my arm. The hairs on the back of my neck stood up.

I.

Hate.

Spiders.

"Rebekah. Elijah," I heard Niklaus say. "What a nice surprise to see you two here."

"We were trying to sneak up on you," Rebekah said.

"No, no. _You_ were trying to sneak up on Klaus, _I_ was trying to stop you," Elijah corrected, talking to Rebekah.

"You were still too loud."

I laughed quietly and looked at Niklaus. "She called me the Vampire Slayer."

"That's what you are. I could smell it on you," Rebekah said. I furrowed my eyebrows in confusion.

"Is that some sort of insult? Saying that I smell bad?"

"No," Niklaus said and hooked his arm around mine. "It means you smell like me."

". . . Is that an insult?" I asked, feeling like a confused child.

Niklaus laughed. "No, love, you smell wonderful."

"I thought she'd be a guy, not a girl," Rebekah adds, walking slowly in circles around me, breaking the arm-to-arm contact Niklaus and I had, and twirling my hair in her fingers. "She's too pretty."

I look at her with a smile that says, "Thank you," but she doesn't smile back. She's jealous. . . of me.

"The witches did a _very_ good job, if I do say so myself," Elijah says and steps up to join the conversation.

I look at the sky and then around me. "Where's the man with that big hat? The one that was suppose to be here a while ago to get us to wherever we're going?" I ask, looking at no one in particular for an answer.

"Is his hat dark purple?" Elijah asks. I nod. "With a white feather in it?" I nod again. He widens his eyes and looks at Rebekah. "Rebekah got a little hungry. . ."

"You _killed_ our only way out of here?" I said in disbelief.

Rebekah shrugged. "You're a vampire, you have super-speed. I'm sure you can run a few miles."

I looked at the horses. "Or _they_ can do it for me." They all looked at the horses, all except for Niklaus. His eyes were on me.

"That sounds pretty good," Niklaus said.

"Wait," Rebekah said. "There's only two horses. What about Elijah and I?"

I looked at Rebekah, meaning this for her, not for Elijah. "You're a vampire, you have super-speed. I'm sure you can run a few miles."

She gives me a wicked look and I grin at her. I turn to Niklaus. "So," I say. "Shall we get going?"

We unlatched the horses and compelled them to do our bidding - - they were freaking out, literally smelling the vampire in the four of us - - and they quickly calmed. I sat on the horse that was as white as snow, before I whipped the reins, I felt a hand push me softly backwards and get infront of me. Niklaus. His short, soft curls were in my face. I buried myself in his back, wrapping my arms around his stomach to hold on tight. Elijah and Rebekah got on the other horse that was pure brown with white specks across its face and a long, black mane. With a whip of the reins, we took off for what seemed like hours. And it was. The horses ran for about three hours - - I knew because I looked up at the sun, watching it slowly come down.

The faster the horses ran, the farther we were. And the farther we were, the more I knew that there was no going back.


	7. 1897

**Day 2 of the posting-one-chapter-everyday thing I have going on! I hope you guys like this Chapter! I worked pretty hard on it! Please REVIEW!**

* * *

**Year: 1897**

**Place: Italy**

Three decades and three years - - thirty three years - - have passed since Damon and Stefan died, since I left my old life behind and started a new one. With Niklaus Mikelson. Now I'm know as Arianna Julius Mikelson. I'm pregnant, or should I say in labor. The look on Niklaus's face when he held his baby boy was priceless. He's not a vampire - - our baby, I mean - - we're planning to turn him when he's old enough and if he wants to. We've named him Vince Helsing. People prefer to call him _Van_ Helsing for some odd reason and it's okay. Niklaus and I don't mind. We've nicknamed him Vinnie, for a year and a half, before Niklaus was kidnapped.

I remember that night. Niklaus was downstairs, reading a book about Vampires while Vinnie and I were upstairs, he was tossing his toys around and I was making noises on his belly. Vinnie laughed, how much I love his little baby laugh, and that's when I heard a window break downstairs. I stopped moving and Vinnie stopped his laughing, we were both paying attention. I picked Vinnie up and ran downstairs.

"Niklaus?" I called. The answer I got was not what I was expecting: a push so hard that I left a dent in the wall. I slid down to the floor with Vinnie in my arms, he was crying. I felt my back bones and muscles healing and I got up, looking through my blurry vision at the man - - _Vampire_ - - who pushed me against the wall. I heard something else: Niklaus groan in pain and fall to the floor. _Oh, God_, I thought to myself. _Please don't be dead!_ I blinked and the man infront of me was gone. I saw Niklaus crawl to where I was and I ran towards him. Vinnie's lips were quivering. I shushed him and saw the man behind Niklaus._  
_

"Don't let them get Vince!" Niklaus yelled at me and spat out blood. The man injected something in Niklaus's back and the man I loved collapsed on the ground, unconscious. Vervain. The man had Vervain.

"Niklaus!" I screamed and ran towards him. The man pushed me hard again, this time I fell flat on my rear end and held Vinnie tighter so he wouldn't fall from my arms.

"After I take your husband away," The man said. "I'm going to kill you and your son."

I started to breathe fast and ran upstairs in a blink of an eye. I hid in my closet and covered myself with the hanging clothes. I rocked Vinnie in my arms, trying to make him not cry. I kept me guard up, my ears as sharp as a bat's. I heard the man drag Niklaus away, tears rose in my eyes and I couldn't help but cry hard. I sobbed, kissing Vinnie on the top of his head. First, Damon. Now, Niklaus. Fury grew inside of me like a tiny seed growing into a great, big Oak tree. But sadness took over that fury like a tsunami flooding that great Oak. I remember crying for half an hour, Vinnie had fallen asleep, but I couldn't. Vinnie shook awake and rattled around in my arms. He wanted his father. He longed for his father's arms and comfort. I cried even more.

The next morning, I packed my things, along with Vinnie's and walked downstairs, we had to get out of here. I stepped on something and when I lifted my foot, it was a folded piece of paper. I unfolded it and read it:

_Get away from here. Go as far as you possibly can. We'll be hunting you down._

My heart raced and looked at my sleeping Vinnie. He has dark hair like me, and his father's dark, beautiful eyes. He has my olive-like skin tone, and his father's smile. It pained me to think like this, to leave this place, to leave Niklaus. And my last decision? To leave Vinnie. I can't take him with me, I just can't. They took Niklaus away, I don't know why, but they did. And if they're after him, I'm pretty sure they're after me. And I don't want Vinnie to be in the middle of this. I can't risk his life.

I walked out the door without a trace, and I remember taking a train and a few carriages to where I was going: Europe. I remember searching for a good house, big and well-built, and also looking for a young married couple. Luck struck me like a slap in the face. I saw a couple in their house, their window was open and I could hear everything. They were trying to have a baby of their own, but they couldn't. They didn't know why. I heard them say that they've tried for so long and absolutely nothing happened. I felt bad and looked down at Vinnie.

"There's your new mommy and daddy," I said with tears in my eyes. I waited a few hours, the sun went down and I took a big basket, Vinnie's favorite blanket, a piece of stationery paper and an envelope. I wrapped Vinnie in the blanket and put him in the basket. I wrote in the stationery:

_My name's Vince Helsing Mikelson._

_My parents were taken from me._

_Please take good care of me._

I put the stationery paper in the envelope and tucked the envelope under Vinnie's little arms. I cried for what seemed like hours, but it was actually just a few minutes, and planted a long, loving kiss on his head. "I love you so much, Vince," I said, my voice shaking. "I'm so sorry for this." I looked into his deep brown eyes. "You're going to forget about your father and I. You're going to live your life as a normal human being with your normal parents and one day have a normal family of your own." I compelled Vinnie. I compelled my own son. For his sake. I planted a kiss on the top of his head, and stroked his cheek with my thumb for a while. "I love you so much." Vinnie started crying, he forgot everything about me. That made me cry harder.

I put the basket down on the top of the stair case and got to my knees. I got out my black cloak that I've had for 33 years and slid it over me. God, it seemed like ages since I've seen this thing. I flipped its black hood up, it covered my face. I planted one last kiss on his head, it was long and loving, the last kiss I'd ever give my baby boy. I stood up, looking down at him with tears streaming down my face. He was crying, too. I knocked on the door hard and loud, then ran with my handy-dandy inhuman speed to the other side of the street, crouching behind bushes. The door swung open slowly and there was the young married couple, in their night clothes, looking down at the bundle of joy crying. The woman was so happy, she picked Vinnie up and rocked him in his arms, looking around for somebody. For me. The man picked up the envelope and ripped it open. He read it.

"My God," the man said, a lock of his dark blonde curls falling infront of his face.

"He's so precious!" the woman exclaimed.

The man didn't know what to say, he just stared at Vinnie with loving eyes. "Thank you, God," he said and gently took Vinnie from the woman's arms. He rocked him in his arms and kissed the top of his head. I saw them close the door to their house and I began to cry harder. I was curled up in a ball and sobbed for atleast an hour there by myself. I wiped my face on my sleeve of the black cloak I was wearing and stood up, sniffling. I lost everything. First it was Damon. Next it was Niklaus. Now, it's my own son. My life seems to be shattering around me.

I can't go out and look for Niklaus, I don't even know where to start. I don't even know if they've killed him or shot him with more Vervain. I decided that I'd go back to where everything started for me. Where I met my first love and where I might feel more at home.

Mystic Falls.

**5 weeks later**

I'm in Mystic Falls. I find myself staring at Mary Jo's house. I know she's dead. I can't hear her voice or hear her breathing. I slowly walk to her log house with my black hood down by my shoulders. I stop midway, seeing a tombstone behind her house. I start breathing fast and ran towards her backyard. Yep, there was her grave.

_Mary Jo_

_A beloved mother_

_Gone but never forgotten_

_1829-1873_

Tears began to form in my eyes and I choked them down. I didn't want to cry, not anymore. Mary Jo had kids. I wonder if I'd ever get to meet them.

"Arianna?"

The voice was familiar, I recognized that cheery-chime. That's when the tears came up again. I felt my throat tighten. I turned around.

"Dear God, _Sophie?_" I asked in a quiet voice. There she was, my best friend. Her dark skin didn't have a wrinkle is sight. Her dark brown eyes were just as lively and bright as ever. She was wearing a white bonnet, her dark brown hair had a streak or two of little peak-a-boo grays, she was wearing a light blue dress that went all the way down to her ankles.

"Arianna, you haven't changed a _bit!_" Sophie said with tears of joy streaming her dark cheeks.

"I know," I said with a chuckle, my tears coming down. "I'm immortal, Sophie."

She went over to me and embraced me tight. "It feels like an eternity," she says into my shoulder.

"It's been thirty three years."

Sophie pulled away and searched my face. She closed her eyes and took a breath in. She opened her eyes and started crying, her lips quivering. "You have a baby?"

That's when I couldn't hold my tears anymore. I sobbed hard. She lead me inside Mary Jo's old log house, everything was still intact, except for a few family pictures here and there of Mary Jo's kids and. . . Sophie's. I sat down on the couch hat Mary Jo used to always sit in and began to cry. Sophie sat next to me, patting my hands.

"Can you tell me your baby's name?" Sophie asked softly with a smile.

"Vince Helsing Mikelson," I stuttered.

"_Mikelson_? Klaus is the father?"

I nodded. "They took him away. . ."

"_Who?_"

"That's what I want to know."

"I'm so sorry, Arianna. When did this happen?"

"Five weeks ago. I had to give Vince away to another family. They didn't know it was me. I made sure of it. I. . ." I swallowed. "I also made sure that Vince forgot about me."

"You _what_? You compelled your son?"

"You had to be there to understand! They took Niklaus away! I saw everything! They're after me! I had to give Vince away, but I didn't want to. I love him so much. Both of them! Niklaus and Vince. They're all I had left. I don't know where Niklaus is, and I can't show my face to Vince." I started to cry harder than ever before. Sophie wrapped her arms around my shoulders and brought me into her arms.

"It's going to be fine. You're immortal, you can find Niklaus. He's stronger than any Vampire on Earth, he'll be fine. Your son, I'm sure little Vince is safe."

I sniffled and buried my face in my hands. "I want him, Sophie. I want my baby back!" I could feel my face turn red because of how much I was crying. I started to have a head ache and Sophie got up to make some tea. This was her house. I lied down on my shoulder, the couch felt soft against my cheek and I immediately stopped crying, I blankly stared straight ahead, not saying a word. My life seemed to drain out of me like a cup that keeps trying to fill itself but there's a hole in the bottom of it, making it impossible. I felt the air becoming cool, I shut my eyes and sniffled a bit. Sophie brought me my tea and I slowly sat up, my bottom lip quivering. I drank it.

A tall man, around his early thirties, came into the house with a pile of neatly sliced wood stacked under his arm and an ax in the other. "Hey, Ma," he said to Sophie. That's her son. Sophie smiled lovingly at her son and took the ax from him, and introduced me.

"Arianna, this is my son, Nathaniel," Sophie said. He extended a hand to shake mine. I slowly reached for his and shook it. A woman stepped in wearing a thin coat and black flats. Her stomach was like a balloon. She was pregnant. "This is his wife, Maribel." Maribel and Nathaniel both had dark skin. Nathaniel had a wide, muscled chest, matching muscular arms to go with it, his hair was really short, in small, tiny curls. Maribel had dark brown hair and bright green eyes. She was curvy, big thighs, small legs, perfectly sculpted arms and a kind, beautiful face.

I felt like crying again. "Pleased to meet both of you," I said softly and nodded a hello. They smiled at me, one of those smiles that said, _awe, you poor thing, what's wrong?_

"Is she okay?" Nathaniel asked. Sophie put her index finger to her lips, signaling him to shush. "Sorry," he said.

I looked at the ground and shrugged. "It's fine."

They went to a separate room and began to speak. Including Sophie. I stayed in the living room, blinking, sipping my tea, breathing, repeating. My tears stopped at once. I needed Niklaus back. Especially my baby. I hated myself for giving him up like that. My own flesh and blood. _My_ baby. The one I carried for nine months. I felt him kicking inside of me. . . and I let him go like that.

**Night**

Everybody's asleep. Sophie, Maribel, and Nathaniel. I was ontop of Sophie's house, on the roof, watching the sky. I heard two other people come in. A man and a woman speaking in whispers.

"_Damn it, Mason!"_ the female voice rang. "_You're gonna wake Ma up! Shut up!"_

"_If you don't stop whispering so damn loud, she won't wake up!" _the male voice said.

"_Just. . . hurry into your room before Ma gets outta bed."_

_"Geesh, Ariann, you're so bossy!" _

They didn't sound like a couple. I instantly knew who they were. Sophie's other children. The girl sounded older, around her mid-twenties, and the boy sounded like he was around his early-twenties. I didn't go down there and inspect on what was going on. I stayed up there. I heard them get into their own separate beds and then, after a while, heard them snore lightly.

"Looks like you're all alone."

My ears felt as if they perked up like a dog's and I spun around - - too slow - - only to be clutched at the neck by a random stranger. With one swift punch, the stranger flew back and fell off Sophie's house. I leaped off her house and landed by the stranger. A vampire. I recognized him. That dark-brown hair, dark clothes. The man that took Niklaus away. Tears of anger sprung out of my eyes. He got up and shoved his hands in his pockets.

"Where's Niklaus?" I said quietly.

"He's not dead," he answered nonchalantly. "I see you gave up your son. What was his name. . . Vince?"

I gulped and my voice started cracking. "Don't you _dare_ touch Vince or I'll rip your heart out!"

"I was there for Niklaus."

"Why? Why'd you take him away? And. . ." I gulped down more tears. "Why're you here?"

"They told me to kill you. To rip out your heart."

"They? Who are _they?_"

"Witches. Not the ones who made you. The ones that want all to be balanced again."

"You came here to kill me. . . " I muttered.

He silently chuckled. "That's what I just said, right?"

I thought about Niklaus, Damon, and my baby, Vince. ". . . Do it. . . I've already lost everybody I cared about." I balled up my fists and awaited my death.

"Good girl," he said and took out a wooden stake. I gulped.

_Don't!_ Came a voice. _I'm here, I'm here! Don't let him kill you! _At first I thought it was just my imagination. But it wasn't. I heard it again. _Arianna! Don't!_

Just as the man ran to me with inhuman speed, I felt the tip of the stake about to pierce through my chest but I grabbed the stake, yanking it out of his hands and embedding it into his heart. He gave a sputtered grunt and fell to his knees. I kicked him and he fell backwards, his skin turning gray and his eyes no longer moving nor blinking. He's dead, I killed him.

_Good,_ the voice came again. _Don't you dare die on me,_ _Arianna_. It didn't sound familiar. It was mixed between voices of both female and male, both animal and human. _Do not make me regret loving_ you. Niklaus? . . . . Damon?

"Who are you?" I said quietly to myself, walking back to Sophie's house, but not to go to sleep. _You know me, _it said in my head. "Okay, but _who _are you?"

It didn't respond.

For a while.

I opened the door to my room, slipped on my black cloak, flipped the hood over my head, grabbed my backpack with my clothes, and headed for the kitchen. I grabbed a pencil and a piece of paper.

_Dear Sophie,_

_I'm going back to Europe to find Vince. I'll send you letters from time to time so you know exactly what's going on and what happened._

_ I'm so sorry I was gone for so long. I hope I can make it up to you. _

_P.s. Ariann and Mason got home late. Your kids?_

_Love, Arianna_

I folded the letter and tucked it in the slit of Sophie's mirror. I looked back at her as she slept with her husband in her bed. She seemed to smile as she slept. She looked so peaceful. I couldn't imagine what it would've been like if Sophie was in my situation. But I had to leave. I had to go and find Vince.

**2 weeks later**

I surprisingly found myself back in Europe, the exact same place where I'd left Vine at. My baby. Today was his birthday. But they didn't know it. I didn't know how to approach them at first. What should I say? "_Hey, I'm your baby's biological mother. Remember? The baby you found on your front steps?_" No, just no. So I did the one thing any Vampire would do.

_Knock. Knock._

The kind young woman opened the front door, smiling at me with Vince tucked in her arms. I looked at him with longing. She noticed and frowned, already knowing that I'm his mother.

"Hello," she said. "Are you - - "

"Honey?" the man said. He looked at me. I didn't look at him. I bit my bottom lip, wanting to grab Vince out of that woman's arms and take him away, far, far away where he can live with me. His _real_ mother. The man saw me staring at Vince and he blinked hard.

"You're his mother," he said with a frown.

I opened my mouth, still staring at Vince. I shut my mouth, swallowed hard and said with a shaky voice, "No. He just - - reminds me of mine." Those words broke my heart, my soul, everything. I can't believe I just denied of being my own son's mother. I looked at the woman's eyes. "_What's your name_?" Compelling her.

"Carol," she said blankly.

I looked at the man. "_What's your name_?"

"Trip," he answered - once again - blankly.

"_Trip, go back inside, make coffee for Carol, tea for me, and when I say 'blood moon', you forget everything about me. Same goes for you, Carol_."

They both nodded and Trip walked back inside his house. "_Let me hold my son_," I said with demand as I compelled her. She handed Vince to me and she kept staring at him. "_Go inside, help Trip make coffee and tea, you will come to me when the tea is ready._" Carol went inside and I followed her, looking at their house. So big. So - - not what a Vampire's would look like. The walls were spotless and the floors were crystal-clean. The furniture looked brand new and the house smelled like Vanilla. I went up the stairs and into a bedroom painted baby blue. Vince's. He was ready to cry in my arms but I turned him over so he'd face me, I looked into his dark eyes.

"_Remember me,_" I said, compelling my son once again. "_Remember your father, Niklaus._"

Vince looked at me blankly, his tears drying up and he started to blink a few times, then cocked his head and grabbed my nose. He remembers. He giggled and I embraced him. He smelled like baby powder and caramel.

I remembered the man took Niklaus away, making me give Vince up. The way I killed him. That's when it hit me. _I_ killed him. There's no more threats of that man coming around, right? I can take Vince with me! That excitement quickly changed when I thought harder. If the witches want me dead, they'll do anything in their power. They took Niklaus away as captive to lure me in. But that's not going to work. I don't know where he is and I can't leave Vince like this. I knew I had to leave Vince behind with Carol and Trip.

I pulled Vince off of me and made him face me again. "_Vince, you will be the world's best Vampire and Werewolf hunter. You will train yourself to be the best of the best. Better than any priest in this world that tries to kill Vampires. When you battle Vampires and Werewolves, you will not be known as Vince Helsing, you will be known as Van Helsing. Honoring your biological parents for making you into what and who you are._" Why am I doing this? "_Deep inside of you, you know what Carol and Trip are not your real parents, when you're old enough, you will ask them who your parents are. They will answer you._" I stopped. I couldn't go on.

Carol came in with my cup of tea. I kissed Vince, putting him in his bed and turning to Carol. Vince began to cry, longing to be kept in my arms.

"Carol," I said. "_When Vince turns sixteen, you will tell him that his parents are Niklaus and Arianna Mikelson. They were taken away by Vampires, leaving him an orphan._" I was compelling her. And the words I was saying felt like I was burning a hole through my heart. I grabbed the cup of tea, drank it all - - even though it felt like lava being poured down my throat, and handed the cup back to Carol.

I cleared my throat. "_Blood moon_." Carol's eyes went blank and she dropped my empty tea cup, making the china shatter on the ground. With a blink of an eye, I was down stairs, infront of Trip. "_Blood moon._" The same thing happened with Trip, his eyes went blank and got a hold on life again. That's when I vanished, running outside with inhuman speed, I shut the door and ran. I ran as far away as I possibly could.

**Year: 1920**

**Place: Europe**

Twenty three years passed since Niklaus was kidnapped and I gave my son - Vince Helsing Mikelson - to newlyweds that couldn't have a baby of their own. I believe he grew up in a good place. Vince is twenty-four years old today. He's panning on marrying a young woman by the age of twenty-one years old by the name of Elizabeth Goodman. She has long, curly black hair and beautiful green eyes. How do I know this? I've been stalking my son for the last twenty-three years of his life. Watching grow up into a fine young man. He looks so much like his father - Niklaus. Vince has Niklaus's smile, his personality. I stare at him and wonder if there's any _real_ side of him that's from _me._ I start to doubt myself. . . and that's when he trips over his own feet. Ahh, there I am! I laugh to myself thinking that. Vince let his dark hair grow out into curls, the ones that remind me of Niklaus's.

He's a Vampire/Werewolf hunter, just like how I compelled him to do. He's taken down dozens of Vampires and almost exterminating all Werewolves in Europe. The look on Vince's face when he successfully takes down a Vampires is priceless. He's become a world-wide Vampire/Werewolf hunter, I'm surprised he hasn't found me yet, since I'm the Vampire that's so close to him 24/7.

I exposed myself to him. Yes, it was dangerous, but I had to expose myself to my son before he went and had a family of his own. I can't watch him forever. I remember that night. The moon was full and blood-red. The Blood Moon. The night where Werewolves come out in wild packs and take down as many animals or people as possible for their own consumption. Vince has just taken down a dozen Werewolves and he's going home, walking through a dark alley - - not a good idea when there's a Blood Moon.

I gulped and started walking towards him. He stopped in his tracks and I did, too. "Vince?" I called in a shaking voice.

He slowly turned around. "How do you know my name?"

"Doesn't everybody?" I asked with a bit of sarcasm in there somewhere.

"No - - I mean yes. But, people call me _Van_ Helsing. Not Vince."

"You probably won't remember me."

He stepped closer to me, I was out in the moon light, it's red glow illuminating me. "I don't think I do. What's your name?"

I gulped and tears began to form in my eyes. "I'm so sorry, Vince."

"Why are you crying? No, no. Don't cry. Why are you sorry?"

"I shouldn't have left you with Carol and Trip. I should've just taken you with me."

"What are you talking about?"

I sniffled back tears, wiping away the ones that escaped with the sleeve of my coat. "You won't believe me when I tell you this. But . . " I gulped, hoping hat he'll believe me. ". . . I'm your mom. Not Carol, she's your adoptive mom. I'm your _real_ mother."

He blinked, looking me up and down. "You seem too young to be my mother."

"I - - I know you have a birthmark shaped like a triangle on your back. Under your right shoulder blade."

He furrowed his eyebrows in confusion. "How'd you know that?"

"I saw it when you were born. _I'm_ you biological mother, Vince. I know you don't remember me, because I compelled you when you were a baby to forget, but - -"

"Wait. . ." he said. "Humans can't _compell_ people."

I gulped. ". . I know."

He breathed in and swallowed hard. "You're a Vampire."

"I'm also your _mother_."

"You can't be," he said and reached for something behind his back. "My parents were taken away by Vampires. Carol and Trip told me when I turned sixteen." He swung a thick, wooden stake at my chest but I grabbed it from him and pinned him to the wall.

"I compelled them to tell you that!" I said too loud.

"You're not my mother!" He tried to kick me away but I held my position with force.

"Your father's name is Niklaus Mikelson and _he_ was taken away by a Vampire! I killed that Vampire that took him away! I don't know where Niklaus is and I've been following you for the past twenty-three years because I wanted to keep an eye out for you!" I explained quickly.

"How'd you know all of that?" He said, still trying to break free.

I pinned him harder. "I'm your _mother_! God damn it, Vinnie! Why won't you believe me!?"

Vince stopped moving and his eyes went blank. "What - - did you just call me?" he asked quietly.

"I called you Vinnie. That's what Niklaus and I called you. We used to call you Vinnie," I said in gasps, because Vince kept kicking my stomach, making me breathless. "You remember. ." I was smiling. "You remember, don't you?"

" . . It was dark," he said, staring into my eyes. "A window broke and you carried me downstairs. Somebody pushed you and you fell backwards. I was in your arms. Crying. I heard somebody telling you to do something. . and you ran upstairs. You hid in a dark place with me, crying. I heard you cry and felt you kiss my head. . ."

I was crying now. "That's the night your father was taken away."

"Why'd you give me up?" he asked with tears in his yes.

I let go of his arms and stepped back a little. "I let you go because I was afraid that the people that took your father away would come after me, or take _you_ away. I didn't want to suffer losing you to the Vampire that took Niklaus away. So I found a nice family for you to live with. I was trying to keep you safe."

Vince looked at me with longing in his eyes. "I always knew Carol and Trip weren't my real parents. But I never expected for you to be a Vampire."

"Do you hate me?"

He shook his head. "Why would I hate you? Vampire or not, you're my mother."

"Your father would be so proud of you, Vinnie."

"Where is he?" he asked.

I shook my head. "I have no idea. I've been trying to find him, but I never could."

He frowned then came up to me too quickly, and hugged me. "Why didn't you show up sooner?"

I hugged him tight. "I was afraid you'd hate me when I told you that I was your mother, and that I'd have to compel you so you'd remember."

Vince pulled away from me and smiled. "Will you stay?"

"Here? In Europe?"

He nodded.

"It depends."

"My wedding is in three months. Will you come?"

I nodded. "I wouldn't miss it for world."

He embraced me one last time, and I enjoyed every second of it. Finally, my son knew who I was. He let me go and looked up at the Blood Moon. "A Werewolf's bite can kill a Vampire."

"I know. I better get going." I pulled away from my son and turned around.

"Where are you staying?"

"I'm going to America. Gotta see an old friend." _Sophie._

"I hope you come back soon."

"Don't worry, Vinnie, I will."

I kissed his cheek the way I used to when he was little and started to walk away. My son didn't kill me, although he tried, he didn't. If he wanted to, he would've already done so. But he didn't. He recognized me before I even told him who I was. But he denied it. My heart shattered when Vince took in a breath and told me goodbye.

"I love you, Mom."

When he blinked, I was gone, I took off with inhuman speed and I felt a tear stream down my cheek. "I love you, Vinnie."


	8. 1924

**Day 4 of P.O.C.E.D - - [Posting One Chapter Every Day] **

**Sorry I haven't posted in 2 days. Been busy with Christmas and parties [;**

**Year: 1924**

My grandchild turned three years old today. I was there, at her birthday party. When I got to Vince's home - - the old house of Trip and Carol - - I wasn't allowed in, because Vampires have to be _invited_ in before you step into a house. Something about loyalty or magic or something liket that. Molly, my grand daughter, hugged me and planted a kiss on my cheek. Elizabeth watched me, picking Molly up after she hugged me.

I smelled it.

Vervain.

Elizabeth put it in vases, around the house, she used it as perfume. I left an hour after she cut the cake. She knew I was Vampire. And I couldn't stand there and let Elizabeth look at me like that. Like I'm some sort of monster.

She talked to Vince. He brought her to their bedroom and they begam to talk. For a _long _time. I was out in the living room with Molly, eating cake and telling her stories about nice Vampires. Telling her that some Vampires are good. And not to believe that every Vampire is bad.

_"I won't let her touch my baby!"_ I heard Elizabeth say, trying to be quiet. But super-human hearing made that nearly impossible.

"_She's on our side, ELizabeth!" _Vince said.

_"No, Vampires are monsters! What if she has one of thos ehungry outbursts and kills Molly?"_

_"She won't, Elizabeth! You have to trust me!"_

_"How old is she?"_

_"What do you mean?"_

_"How old is she?" _Elizabeth repeated.

_"Fifty-six years old. Why?"_

_"She better learn how to control herself. Because if she hurts our Molly, I swear, Vince, I will drive a steak through her heart!"_

Vince sighed. _"I promised you that my mother won't do that. Now, please, don't tell anyone, okay? And I'm the world's best Vampire and Werewolf hunter. If my own mother was a threat to us, I would've killed her already, Elizabeth. Please, just be nice. Vampire or not, she's my mother, and she means no harm to you or Molly. Correction; she means no harm to anybody."_

Elizabeth let out a breath. _"I'm sorry. I just . . . haven't seen a Vampire since my parents were killed by one of them, you know I hate Vampires."_

"_How ironic that your in-law's one."_

_"Just, please, don't make me be alone with her."_

_"Fine."_

I heard them kiss and the door opened. I began to play with Molly. Elizabeth faked a smiled and I faked on back. That's when I knew I had to go.

I checked my watch as if I had another place to be. "I have to go," I said.

"No, please stay," Vince pleaded.

I kissed Vince's cheek and extended a hand to shake Elizabeth's. She grabbed my hand and shook it. My hand felt like it was soaked it acid. Vervain. I forgot all about Elizabeth's Vervain perfume. I flinched, retrieving my hand.

"You enjoyed that," I said, shaking my hand in the air. My hand healed quickly.

Elizabeth smiled wickedly.

"Elizabeth," I started. "I would never hurt Molly, or you. _Or_ Vince. I lost my husband a year and half after Vince was born. I had to give up Vince because I was afraid that the Vampires that took his father away would come after me. And I didn't want Vince to suffer that with me. I wanted him to have a normal life. If it wasn't for me making that decision, you wouldn't be here today with your beautiful daughter. I just want to let you know that I mean absolutely no harm to you. Please, try to understand."

I left. Just like that. I forgot to give Molly a fare-well kiss before I left. I couldn't come back to a place where I knew I wasn't welcome. But I was invited in. I could come in when ever I wanted.

But, no.

I knew I had to stay away from Elizabeth, she hates me.

**Year: 1924**

**Place: Chicago, United States**

Things change. Best friends die. _Sophie_. Your children grow up. _Vince._ I left them alone for a while. Sophie's dead, burried by Mary Jo's grave. Her children have children of their own. Ariann and Mason _are_ her children, Ariann's pregnant, Mason's getting married. Sophie lived to be seventy-two years old before stomach cancer took her from us.

I haven't found Niklaus.

I don't know if Damon's alive.

But I know that Stefan _is._

So I set out to find him.

In Chicago.

I bought a wig with a bob-haircut. Gross. Honestly, I prefer my hair long and curly, not short. But that's the style for the 1920's.

I went to a 'club' where the music was all Jazz andthe people dressed as if they were at a five-star wedding. I dressed in a knee-high silver dress that sparkled and made my blue eyes pop. My light brown wig had a silver feather accessory in it, and the heels I was wearing were killing me. I walked around. Trying to find someone in particular.

Until I found somebody else.

Could it be? No . . . how?

I walked up to her and spund her around by grabbing her shoulder. She had the same short bob-cut as me, but her blonde hair was curly.

"What a pleasent surprise," she said.

I opened my mouth to say something but nothing came out.

"What's wrong?" she asked. "Cat got your tongue?" She smirked and drank from her glass.

"Rebekah. . " I muttered.

"Yes, yes. And you're Arianna. My brother's been dying to fing you."

"Niklaus?" I found myself saying too loud. "Where is he? Is he okay?"

She chuckled. "Ofcourse he is. He's been fine for the last fifty-six years."

My jaw dropped. "Where is he?"

She pointed to a table in the far right corner, by an emergency exit. There he was. Niklaus. His long clonde hair was cut short, not even touching his ears. He was talking to somebody with light brown curls and dark eyes.

Stefan.

"You don't know what to do," Rebekah said.

I shook my head. I felt like crying. He was 'fine' for fifty-six years. . . and he didn't even bother to try to find me. I felt myself become angry.

"Come," She said and grabbed my wrists, leading me to Niklaus's table.

There I was. Right infront of him, Rebekah sat down beside Stefan. Niklaus stared at me, at first, not recognizing me. Stefan looked at me with surprised eyes. I balled up my fists.

"Arianna?" Stefan said.

I felt tears coming up. Niklaus just stared at me with longing eyes and I just wanted to be held by him. He didn't even move.

I looked straight into Niklaus's eyes. I was crying at this point. "Fuck you." Niklaus started to get up and I quickly made my way out by the emergency exit. I thought it would've rang an alarm, but it didn't. I wiped away my tears and I felt a warm hand clutch my forearm.

"Let me explain." _Niklaus. _

"Don't." I muttered through gritted teeth. "You _knew_ that I was okay and that _Vince_ was perfectly fine. Didn't you?"

"I can explain."

"_Please _do! _Please_ explain how you ditched your family and ran off! Were you afraid of having a family of your own?"

"No, Arianna. Please, just listen."

I crossed my arms and my wig off my head, dropping it on the floor, my light brown wavy locks fell over my shoulders, passed my belly button. "Listening. . "

"When that Vampire took me away, it was because I killed his family. You know why? Because they were after _you_. His wife, their children were fully grown adults, they wanted to kill _you_. So do some other witches that I didn't quite hear too much about because I was in a Vervain coma. After he took me away, he shot me with more Vervain and told me never to see you again or he'll personally take you down along with Vince."

"I killed him, the Vampire that took you away."

"I wasn't sure if he killed you or you killed him, so I stayed away. I didn't talk to you or let you see me for those fifty-six years. Please, believe me."

I wiped away my tears and felt my bottom lip quiver. "I hate you for leaving me like that." He let me go. When he blinked, my arms were already around him. "I thought you were dead, Niklaus."

He hugged me back even tighter. I cried on him for a few minutes and I pushed him away, recollecting myself. I let out a stuttered breath and passed a hand throug the top of my head.

"Vince is a strong young man," he said out of no where.

"How do you know? I've been the one watching him for twenty-three years."

"No, you haven't been the only one. I care about our son. He has a daughter, her name's Molly. She looks like you. I know that you've been searching for me for as long as I've been gone. I know that you've visited Sophie, and saw Mary Jo's grave." He smiled at me. "You're not the only one that has been watching somebody."

I let out a breath and looked at my feet. "You're going to have to leave me again. . . aren't you?"

"I'm so. . . so sorry. I have to. I can't stand here and watch you be murdered."

"You don't even try to be with me," I said through gritted teeth.

"Arianna. ."

"Just go, Niklaus. I was fine after you disappeared, and I'll be fine now." I couldn't believe the words that I just said. Niklaus looked like he was just stabbed in the heart. I felt myself wanting to crawl into a hole filled with Vervain and die.

Niklaus leaned down and kissed my cheek. I closed my eyes as I felt his warm lips plant a loving kiss on my ice-cold cheek. He pulled away slowly, keeping eye contact with me. I grabbed the collar of his shirt and harshly pulled him towards me. Our lips crashed together. I didn't expect myself to do that. His warm, lush lips sent warm tingles up and down my body as if I was being electrecuted. I missed him too much.

He didn't pull away. I felt his fangs bite at my lip, I tasted my blood. He tasted my blood. Niklaus's breaths became heavy and out of rhythm.

I pulled away. Slowly. Niklaus didn't want to pull away from me.

"I missed you," Niklaus whispered into my ear.

_He's going to leave. _That voice. Both human and animal, male and female. _Don't believe me? Ask him yourself._

" . . . Niklaus," I started. "Are you staying? . . Or are you leaving."

"I'm . . leaving." He saw how upset I was by looking into my eyes. "I'm going to find the witches that are trying to kill you and get rid of them. Then, I'll come back."

"How long will that be?"

"I have no clue, Arianna. But you have to stay here. I'm going to gona for a while, I'm certain of that."

I looked down. "I guess I'll see you around."

"Wait . . . where are you going?"

I started to walk backwards. "I'm going to compell some people to let me stay in their house for a while."

He smiled. "That's my girl."

I faked a shy smile and turned around, taking off my high heeled shoes and holding them in one hand as I walked. I heard Niklaus go back inside and I looked down at the ground. How dare he leave me like that again.

**Two weekss later**

Niklaus is gone trying to hunt down the witches that are trying to kill me. I found a mansion with a newlywed couple living in it, I compelled them to let me stay there for a few weeks.

The sun went down and I was out at night, walking through the woods, having nothing else to do or worry about. I was wearing a black leather jacket, ripped skin-tight blue jeans, combat boots and a blue tank top. It _is_ the 1920's but I could care less about what to wear for fashion.

And that's when I heard it.

Some sort of crunching sound behind me. I turned around and saw a familiar figure hidden behind a sheet of dark shadows. I recognized it's silhoutte. But I couldn't put my finger on it.

I squinted. _Why am I getting so many surprises!? _

"Hello?" I called. The silhoutte shifted, as if it turned around. "No, wait!" I excalimed and ran towards it. Normal human speed, not that inhuman kind, I couldn't risk being revealed. The silhoutte was gone. I still heard it crunch through the woods. That's when I ran with inhuman speed. The person ran that same speed.

A Vampire.

I ran faster. I tackled the Vampire to the ground, flipping him over on his back and pinning his arms over his head. He let out a grunt. _Oh, God,_ I thought to myself. _I know him._

"Long time, no see," he said. I felt a pair of warm lips on my cheek, and something tugging at the pocket of my jacket. Then, with a swift and quick kick of his knee, he kicked me over his head, and when I got up to come back to him, he was gone.

I couldn't believe that he's here. I found myself talking quietly for that one moment. "Damon . ." I looked around for him, feeling as giddy and head-over-heels as I felt over fifty-something years ago. He was alive. . and I was wondering if he heard me say those things I said to him before he died. . . and came back to life.

"Damon?" I called.

No response.

I nervously shoved my hands in my back pockets and started to walk back to me new home. Even after my encounter with Damon, I heard him follow me all the way to the Parker's - - the people that I compelled to let me stay at their home - - and I know he saw me turn my head to search for him. But I couldn't actually find the place where he was hiding - - or following me from.

I got to the Parker's, I dug in my pockets for the key, I found it, and I felt something crumple in my pocket. I put the key in my back pocket and dug in my pocket where I felt it crumple. I found a folded piece of paper in my pocket. While I unfolded it, I heard something rustle behind me in some bushes.

The note read:

_I know you're probably confused about all of this. I promise I can explain. Meet me at the train station tomorrow at 3 p.m. I'll be waiting for you._

_D.S._

I turned around, hearing something rustle in the bushes behind me again. I saw Damon speed by me. He was gone.


End file.
